


Summer Paradise (Teen Beach Movie AU)

by orphan_account



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/F, How Do I Tag, M/M, Mutual Pining, Period-Typical Homophobia, Teen Beach Movie AU, issa gay one though, oof ive never done this before, slight homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25082017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Katherine Pulitzer and the Jacobs twins, David and Sarah, have been best friends since childhood. At the end of the summer, Katherine's biological father comes to take her away to a boarding school in upstate New York. In one last act of defiance, Katherine surfs during a massive storm. Sarah and David try to save her and bring her back to shore. But when they resurface, they walk into the plot of Sarah and David's favorite movie musical, Wet Side Story.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 153
Kudos: 91





	1. Oxygen (pt.1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I've never done this before! Please comment any tips if you have them, or deadass anything else you wanna say. i hope you like it

God it was a good summer. A great summer. The corniest, cheesiest summer you could imagine. David and Sarah Jacobs’ best friend, Katherine Pulitzer (no relation to the award guy- it had been the topic of many conversations between the three of them and they did some HEAVY research and nope, no relation) lived in a cottage on the beach with her uncle, Darcy. The trio had spent their days on said beach: surfing at sunrise, having sand wars (think food fight but much worse), looking for seashells, and HOURS talking on the sand bank. The beach usually wasn’t too crowded, most of the tourists flocked to the other side of the island and the waves sometimes got too intense for even locals to surf.

  
It was the Saturday before school started, and nobody wanted to go back to the shitty school on the mainland. Least of all Sarah, Dave and Kate always seemed to have class together while she was on her own. Sarah, being the little shit that she was, decided to bring it up, “so y’all excited for, Junior Year: The School District Strikes Back!” She dramatically waved her arms in front of her, like she was reading a title.

  
“How will our gang of heroes fare against the return of the evil Vice Vader and Principle Palpatine!” Dave continued with just as much enthusiasm.

  
“Okay I get it, y’all watched Star Wars last night.” Katherine laughed and bit her tongue. She knew she had to tell them sometime, but she was nervous and Sarah’s eyes were too distracting anyway. “On a funner note did y’all watch the radar? There’s gonna be a huge storm tomorrow, and with any good storm comes a good surge to surf!”

  
“I know! It’s coming in early though, so I was thinking we could be out here by 5?” Dave loved to plan things to a fault. But Sarah needs somebody to be her impulse control and God knows it wouldn’t be Katherine. David started walking up the beach to Katherine’s cabin- they were all hungry and Darcy was making paninis.

  
“Sounds good for me” Katherine said.

“It’s gonna be a maybe from me.” Sarah usually met up with Dave and Kate about an hour after they started- she needed her beauty sleep.

Once they arrived home- they heard a familiar sound through the door. “No way!” Sarah and Dave said at the same time. It was one of those freaky twin things they did sometimes. They bust through the door and ran into the back where Darcy was.

“You’re watching without us?” “Dude start it over!” Sarah and Dave said at the same time, while Katherine grabbed her panini from the kitchen. She walked into the back and saw what they were watching. “Oh god not this again.”

“Wet Side Story!” the three of them said in unison. The Jacobs twins loved old movies and quickly bonded with Darcy over them. Wet Side Story was a 60’s movie about Bikers and Surfers in a turf war, and how a love story saves the day.

“God this movie is so stupid. Why are they singing? People don’t fall in love that fast. What determines if you’re a biker or surfer? Why is nobody ever wet? (“that’s what she said”- Sarah) They live on the beach!” Katherine said. “This is not accurate beach life.” Darcy kissed the top of Katherine’s head.

“But Outer Banks is?” Dave chimed in, eyes glued to the screen.

“Touché” Katherine smiled and internally continued her dialogue. She didn’t like this movie, hell she barely liked any movie. Books were more her style. As the main biker chick was falling into some surfer’s arm the doorbell rung. Oh god.

Darcy went to open the door and Katherine inwardly cringed. Apparently not inwardly enough because Sarah looked at her with concerned eyes.

“Darling!” was announced by a strange voice and David whipped his eyes from the screen to figure out what was going on.

“You ready for a new life!” said the same voice as a man rounded the corner. Darcy followed him in, desperately trying to be polite. “Oh who are these people.”

“These are my best friends David and Sarah. And its nice to see you to Dad.”

Sarah and Dave made eye contact in mutual confusion. Kath never talked about her dad. Except to assure them he wasn’t famous.

“Oh, well its good to meet you kids.” Mr. Pulitzer stood in the middle of the room, a couple steps away from everyone else, looking around. It was a busy room. Darcy worked back here. He did ran a surf shop on he other side of the island, and often fixed people’s surf boards in the room. He also had business folders and sketches for new boards thrown around the room and over the walls. But there was one tidy spot right above the door with a surfboard hung up. Mr. Pulitzer’s eyes hovered over it.

“This was my grandfather’s board.” Said Darcy “He used to say it would make waves magic.”

“Oh old men and their silly stories.” Mr. Pulitzer laughed while everyone else stood in silence. “So, Katherine, we leave tomorrow at 8:00 AM. Are you all packed?”

“Packed for what?” David asked.

“Well for school of course! Didn’t she tell you? Katherine was accepted into the very academy that I went to! And she will be starting in New York this fall.” Pulitzer answered.

“No, she didn’t mention it.” Sarah stated, “Well I have to go um, somewhere.” She quickly left.

“And I have to check into my hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow Katherine?”

“Uh, yea Dad.”

“Okay then. Darcy. David.” He walked out just as quickly as Sarah, but with much less pain in his heart.

Darcy looked at Kate with concerned eyes but disappointed eyebrows. “I’ll leave you two to talk it out.”

“Dave I was gonna tell you I just couldn’t figure out how to say it and we were having so much fun and I didn’t wanna ruin it and I know Sarah doesn’t have the best time at school I didn’t wanna ruin her summer and you were so excited for-”

Dave cut her off, “God are you crazy!? Don’t tell me about why we’ll be sad! You should have told us when you found out he was making you go, when you applied!” David was pissed. “What were you just gonna leave without saying goodbye?”

“No I was gonna tell you guys but”

“But what Kate? You were too scared?”

“YES DAVID I WAS TERRIFIED.” Katherine lost it a little. “I LOVE IT HERE AND IM TERRIFIED TO LEAVE”

“And you don’t think we could’ve helped you with that!”

“Jesus Christ David just go follow Sarah”

And he did.


	2. Oxygen (pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jacobs deal with Kath's big announcement. Darcy is fatherly and the surge comes in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok wow I'm so excited people are reading this. Thanks for reading and leave comments if you have something to say!

David stormed outside to find his sister. Holy shit. _Holy shit_. He couldn’t believe she was leaving. He couldn’t believe she didn’t tell him.

“How you doin’ Dave?” Darcy was sitting on the front porch, unintentionally listening to Kath and Dave’s argument (In his defense, they were loud and literally ALL the windows were open).

“Um, not the best Darcy.” David choked on his sentence. _Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry._

“Yeah sorry that was a stupid question. I know how close you two are.” Darcy, for whatever the reason, was convinced that David and Katherine were helplessly in love. David would be lying if he said he never had a crush on Katherine, but that was a while ago. He loved her dearly, and of course she was beautiful, but she was just a friend.

“I know she was scared but why didn’t she just tell me?” David was genuinely confused. He was Kath’s best friend: she came out to him 2 years ago, he was there on her worst surfing wipeout, and he read everything she wrote. Oh. She’s going because of writing. “She’s going because of writing, isn’t she?”

“Among other reasons I’m sure but yes. She’s got big dreams David, and no matter how much it hurts you got to let her do it.” Darcy was really laying on the Dave/Kath thing HARD.

“Yeah well I better go check up on Sarah.”

“Night kid”

“Night Darcy.”

David walked off the porch and into the night. God Darcy would miss that kid. He was smart and caring, really good for Kath. Darcy walked back into the house to find a crying Katherine.

“Kath?” He said gently. “Kath do you want to talk about it?” Katherine had lived with Darcy for 6 years, so Darcy knew how to comfort an upset Katherine. She usually needed some time for herself to sort out her feelings, but always confided in Darcy afterward. But she was leaving tomorrow and Darcy didn’t want her to deal with it completely on her own. He would be abandoning her, and she was just a kid. She needed help.

“I want to go, but I don’t want to leave them.” She said tearfully. “I mean fuck, my mom wanted me to go and this is the best way for me to start my life and get a job, the job I want. But Sarah and Dave and you and the beach I just-”

Yeah Katherine doesn’t quite know how she feels yet, or at least how to communicate that. Usually their conversations were much more eloquent and required a lot of listening on Darcy’s part. But today was different.

“Kath, I love you. So much. And correct me if I’m wrong but, I don’t have to lecture you on why you should have told Sarah and Dave. But I am going to lecture you a little bit because what kind of guardian would I be if I didn’t? (She giggled a little) Kathy, you don’t have to worry about adult stuff like a job and the rest of your life right now. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you’re just a kid. Okay? You’re 16- you should be worried about history tests and boys and what waves to surf. And I know this is what your mom wanted but we have talked about school long enough that you should know that above anything else she wanted you to be happy. So I’m going to ask you one more time and you can answer honestly. Do you want to move to New York?”

She hesitated for just a second before saying “yes” in a quiet voice. And she wasn’t completely lying. She wanted to make her mom proud and she really wanted to be a journalist or an author. She just wishes she could do that from home.

Darcy considered her answer before saying, “Okay. But if by some chance you change your mind, know that you always have a home here and flights can always be canceled.” Darcy pulled Katherine in for a long hug. They could both hear Wet Side Story playing in the back, over Kath’s sniffles.

“Can we please turn that off?” She said into Darcy’s shoulder.

He laughed and said, “of course”. After turning off the movie, he looked up at the surfboard hanging above the door. “You know, you should surf the surge tomorrow.”

“I don’t know- Dave and Sarah are really mad so I doubt they’ll be there.”

“Okay, but it’s the surf of a lifetime. Don’t stay up too late.” Darcy said with a wink and walked into his room. “Goodnight Katherine.”

“Goodnight”

~

Dave walked back to the family house, hoping to find Sarah there. God he was angry. Katherine is leaving and she didn’t tell him. Or Sarah. Dave isn’t an idiot- he knows about Kath’s little crush on Sarah and he knows Katherine has a tendency to avoid hard conversations. Maybe he overreacted. He shouldn’t have yelled at her. She said she was terrified and he should have been more supportive. Les was out on the front porch.

“Dude, it’s like 11 go to bed.” Dave said.

“Sarah was crying- I wanted to give her some space.” Les yawned. He should really be asleep, he’s only 9.

“Okay, I’ll take care of her Les. Don’t worry about it. How about you grab some blankets and crash on the couch tonight?” Dave said trying to be fatherly. Les nodded and the two of them went inside. Dave, Sarah, and Les all shared a room. Money was tight. Dave’s dad had one bad leg and it’s hard for him to keep a job. Most of the jobs on the island were labor-intensive. And Dave’s mom was an elementary school teacher on the mainland. Dave loved his family, but he hated the two bedroom house they lived in.

After tucking Les in, he went into his room. “Sarah?” She was silently crying in her bed facing the wall. Shit.

“Sarah… I’m sorry.” She turned around. Dave crawled in the bed with her and hugged her tightly. She sobbed into David’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss her too, Sarah.”

They fell asleep like that.

~

Katherine’s alarm went off at 4:15. She was going to surf that surge. Darcy was right- she was 16 and she should be having fun. Her dad wasn’t a big fan of fun and she doubted boarding schools were either. This was it. Her last act of defiance. Darcy was in the kitchen. He smiled at her and handed her the freshly sanded family surfboard.

“Yes! I finally get to make magic waves!” Kath said excitedly and Darcy laughed.

“I’ll be there in an hour or so Kath.” He said with a hug.

Katherine walked out to the beach, she played around a bit, waiting for the surge. It was windy and a bit rainy, but it wasn’t perfect yet. Dave showed up around 5:45 and sat on the sand until he couldn’t handle it and got into the ocean. He surfed next to Kath in perfect silence also waiting for the surge. The beach started filling up with surfers. Darcy showed up, then Sarah. Finally, the surge happened.

“I’m going back in- it’s getting a little rough for me.” David yelled through the rain.

“I’m gonna stay a while longer.” Kath yelled back

“Be safe- and its 6:30, so don’t stay for too long. You wouldn’t wanna miss your flight.” Dave went back to shore and Kath smiled at him. He was extending an olive branch and Kath really hoped that meant forgiveness.

Back on the beach, Sarah and Darcy were talking on the beach when David came in. “She’s doing really well out there.”

“Yeah but I don’t like the look of the sky.” Darcy said. He was right there were some very aggressive waves out there and most of the surfers were coming back in.

“Oh shit, it’s really bad.” It was the first thing Dave had heard Sarah say since last night. And then she something pretty crazy for someone who was just stabbed in the back, she ran to a waterski and stole it. SHIT. She went into the surge and drove it as close as she could to Katherine. And in another stroke of that Jacob’s genius, David ran into the ocean as well.

“WHAT THE HELL GUYS?” Katherine screamed.

“ITS DANGEROUS KATE COME BACK IN!” Sarah yelled back. David was crashing into the bigger waves and going over the smaller ones. He was right beside Sarah when a huge wave came in. It was 40 feet- easy. Kath went under and the Jacobs twins followed.

David and Kath resurfaced quickly.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Kath screamed. “I WAS FINE I WOULD HAVE MADE THAT WAVE IF Y’ALL DIDN’T SCREW ME UP!”

“Kath we were—shit. SHIT! WHERE’S SARAH!” They both frantically splashed around looking for her. After the most terrifying moments of David’s life, Katherine spotted her a few yards over. Katherine swam over and hugged her.

“Jesus Christ Sarah! I thought you were dead!” She said aggressively and lovingly.

“Guys where is the storm?” Sarah said in a shaky voice. “Where are we?” They swam into shore and found Katherine’s surfboard on the sand. There was music coming from a building further up shore that definitely wasn’t there before. And there were a bunch of perfect-looking teenagers dancing on the beach.

“Okay what the actual fuck.”


	3. Surf Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the musical begins! Kath, Sarah, and Dave get to be in a musical number and they meet the stars of said musical! Good times ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little nervous about this chapter, but i think i like it! It was harder for me to write, but hey- i did it! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Slight trigger warning Dave mentions a panic attack and Kath makes a comment about getting in serious trouble with her dad ("he's gonna kill me") They are meant to be read as overdramatic teenage dialogue- both of these characters are safe! If you are unsafe and in the US here is a website you can go to for help: http://worldhelplines.org/usa.html

_Blue skies, gentle breeze. What a day!_

Holy shit.

_Sunshine and sweet harmonies, time to play._

“Holy Shit.”

_From now on just_

“Are we in..”

_Good vibrations!_

‘WET SIDE STORY!” The three of them said in unison. Dave and Sarah were definitely more excited than Kath. Actually, the only thing Kath felt was anxiety. She had a life-changing flight to catch in give-or-take 30 minutes. She looked at her best friends. Excited was a modest word. Dave looked like he was gonna pee himself. He was already mouthing along the words to the song. Kath gave him a shove.

“Go dance, Broadway.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He ran into the dance number with the choreography memorized. Kath was surprised Sarah didn’t run in after him. Instead she grabbed her arm.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe this is happening, actually I don’t believe this is happening. Kath do you know what a coma feels like? Is that what’s happening?” Sarah sounded breathless. She laughed as Dave danced around surfboards.

“I honestly have no clue.” Kath’s tone was much more serious.

“Hey, at least we are together right?” God Kath was so gone for this girl. Sarah continued trying to cheer Kath up, “Even if we are in a coma at least we get to watch Dave’s performance of a lifetime!” Dave was now throwing around a beach ball in sync with every other teenager on the beach.

“Yeah I guess it’s adorable” maybe Kath _was_ in a coma, “But I’m leaving soon Sarah. We gotta find a way back or my dad’s gonna kill me.” Sarah’s hand moved down Kath’s arm and squeezed her hand. Kath lost every cohesive thought she ever had.

“I’ll protect you.” Sarah said with a smile. Kath’s head was empty. Both their focus was broken when Dave splashed a bucket of water in their faces.

“It’s time for roll-call!” He squealed.

“That’s convenient” Kath said.

All the kids on the beach lined up behind a limbo bar. A tall brunette with a pearly smile started off.

“I’m Racetrack!

Cowboy! (a shorter boy, introduced himself with a wink)

Crutchie! (fittingly had a crutch)

Romeo! (did a goofy dance)

Albert! (he was cute and he knew it)

David!

Sarah!”

Oh, we were doing this too? “I’m Kath” _Fuck I wasn’t on beat!_

Now Kath and Sarah were involved in the dance number. Sarah was doing fine for herself, but didn’t know it as well as Dave. Kath on the other hand, she was awkwardly trying to keep up and not get hit by a surfboard. The dance number ended and everyone ran into the building. There was a big sign above the door reading: Big Momma’s.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” Dave said. He was smiling like an idiot.

Inside Big Momma’s the jukebox was loud and everyone was dancing, jolly and gay. No seriously. All the forced heterosexuality is making this musical 100x gayer.

“That was awesome!” Dave said, still starstruck by his own performance. Apparently he said it too loud because the jukebox stopped mid-song (who knew they worked like that?) and everyone turned to look at the three newcomers.

“Oh, hi!” Kath said as innocently as she could.

“Hello there!” The tall boy pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Fuck maybe that roll call wasn’t as convenient as Katherine thought. What was his name? Tall, big smile, main character…

“I’m Racetrack, but you can call me Race for short! ( _Racetrack of course!_ ) And if ya don’t mind me askin’, who are you guys?”

Kath looked at Dave, who was gaping a little. “Hi, I’m Katherine. And this is David and this is…” Fuck. Sarah wasn’t next to her. But Racetrack didn’t seem to notice or care.

“Well hey guys! Welcome to Big Momma’s! I can show you around if you want.” His smile twinkled, like honest-to-god twinkled.

“Wow he’s nice.” Kath whispered to Dave. “Yeah that sounds great Race, thanks!” Kath leans down to whisper in David’s ear “You are so smart please help me out here.”

After regaining his braincells, Dave led Kath further into Big Momma’s and Race.

“So this, obviously is Big Momma’s and she has a jukebox in that corner. The kitchen is in the back and the bathroom is right behind it.” He smiled widely. He seemed very preppy, but it was cute. He was dressed like a hot surfer dude from the 60’s. From what Katherine could tell he was a pretty one-dimensional character.

“And these are my boys” He pointed out each surfer as he named them, “Crutchie, Albert, and Romeo. They’re real nice- I’m sure you’d love them! And of course, Miss Medda owns the place. She’s like a mother for a lot of us. You wanna come meet her?”

“Actually, can we do that in a second Racer? I need to talk to Kath for a sec.” Dave fit right in. It was almost like he practiced talking to these characters in a mirror (Yes Sarah caught him doing that once- she didn’t tell anyone but never let him forget it).

  
“Oh, OH!” Race gave them a wink. “Of course you can have a talk with your girl. Sorry I didn’t pick up on that earlier.”

“Actually we’re not-” Katherine started to explain but Race walked away. “I wonder if they can understand the concept of a lesbian?”

“God, I hope so. I’ve loved these guys for way too long for them to be homophobic.”

“Love! Davey you just met them! Aren’t you moving a little fast? I’m not emotionally ready to fight Sarah over the role of best man yet!”

Dave laughed. “Seriously though, what are we doing? Like what should our goal be? We’re stuck in a musical and the only reason I haven’t had a panic attack yet is because it’s my favorite musical that gave me my gay (he’s bi) awakening.”

And just like clockwork Sarah interrupted their conversation. “Hello lovelies while y’all were making a scene I made a friend. Kath, Dave. This is Jack!” Sarah gave Dave a smile that was just a little bit malicious.

“Hiya Kath! Nice to meet ya Davey!” Jack said.

Davey. That was new.


	4. Crusin' for a Brusin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bikers have arrived!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't proofread this one whoops.
> 
> Please leave a comment and kudos if you like it and thanks for reading!

Dave just stared. He was much more beautiful in real life than shitty black and white film. He was beautiful on film too, but it’s nothing compared to the real thing. He had a big, genuine smile and gorgeous brown eyes that Dave(y) could look into for hours. His skin was darker than it looked on film, and he was shorter too. Just a couple inches below David. His hair was thick and curly. He had strong arms and big hands. But messy, messy nails. Dave had let Sarah practice a manicure on him when they were 11 and he never went back. _Wait am I supposed to be saying something right now?_

Dave noticed no one had said anything for like a minute straight. He opened his mouth to presumably say something stupid, but Sarah saved his ass.

“Jack here is second-in-command. He knows his way around pretty well and has offered help if needed.” Jack smiled at Sarah as she spoke.

“Yeah, I can introduce you newbies to some of our friends if you want. Youse know how to surf, right?” He looked David in the eyes again and his heart stopped.

“Um yeah we love to.” David said in the best ‘I’m-cool-and-I-totally-belong-here-and-you’re-not-hot’ voice he could manage.

“Great! You’ll fit right in!” Jack led them to a booth on the left side of the diner. Racetrack and three other boys were sitting down and welcomed Jack and his new friends.

“Well hello there!” a tan boy with blond curly hair said with the flirtiest smile you’ve ever seen. “Jack, who are these lovely dames you’ve brought and how are they doin’ today.”

“Eh have some respect Crutchie and ask the ladies themselves! So honey would you like a personal escort to the beach.” The boy sitting next to him was Filipino and had a scar running through his right eyebrow. He saw Katherine notice his scar and used it to his advantage, “Oh this thing?” He pointed at his brow, “I got in a tussle with a great white! Fought him off pretty quick though, I’m the protector type.” He winked at Katherine.

“Knock it off, Romeo! Don’t worry about these two, they’re a year younger, they think flirting will compensate.” Said a freckly redhead. “I’m Albert.”

“It nice to meet you. I’m Sarah and this is Katherine and my brother David. We’re new around here.” Sarah sat with the boys and started chatting. She was quickly adapting to this world. Jack pulled up two chairs for Davey and Kath. “Here you go, sorry we usually don’t seat this many people over here.” Right as they sat down, Racer looked towards the front of the room.

“Here we go boys.”

A Hispanic girl about Crutchie and Romeo’s age walked in, wearing bubblegum pink. Smalls was gorgeous and Racetrack’s love interest. She was also the younger sister of the biker gang’s leader, Spot Conlon. She walked up to the jukebox and put in a nickel. Familiar music started playing as the biker gang entered Big Momma’s.

They were all wearing black leather and had some sort of red on them. They honestly looked WAY better than the surfers. The coordination was cool and they all pulled it off. Spot Colon announced their arrival with the start of the song.

_You better run, run, run_

_Cause’ here we come_

_Revving our engines under the sun_

_You’re crusin’ for a brusin’_

The bikers did their corny little dance- way edgier than the surfers but still a 60’s musical. The surfers grumbled while watching the bikers. They definitely weren’t happy that the bikers were in their joint. Then Smalls got her verse:

_Bubblegum cherry pop_

_Go to the hop_

_Hanging with my brother_

_‘Cause his friends are so hot_

_Why they’re crusin’, for some brusin’_

Suddenly Sarah hopped in front of the girls wearing a leather jacket, and Katherine went boneless.

_Alright  
I went to the drive in and what did I see?_

_A hundred little betties all starin’ at me!_

_I was crusin’ for some loving!_

“Hey I thought that chick was surfer?” Crutchie asked. The rest of the surfers looked confused and slightly betrayed by their new friend.

“She is” Dave interjected, desperately trying to save his sister’s reputation with the surfers’. “She’s just friendly.” Dave didn’t even look convinced by his answer. Katherine was too busy planning a wedding to comprehend a conversation. Kath was completely mesmerized as Sarah danced around with the bikers, singing every word confidently. Katherine took back her opinion about this song, she now found it amazing and never wanted it to end.

_Don’t stop, stop the music_

_We ride fast like a bullet_

_We do anything we want, anytime we want._

_Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah!_

Davey looked at Jack, who didn’t seem as angry as the other surfers. He looked more annoyed actually. He looked up at Davey, who quickly looked away. Jack wanted to check where Racer was looking. Jack was an observant person, and he noticed unusual things about his friends. And his hunch was confirmed as he saw Racer staring holes into Spot Conlon.

_We’re not gonna live any other way, No!_

Sarah slid onto her knees as the song ended. She was panting as she looked at Katherine and said, “I’ve always wanted to be in that song.”

Unfortunately, her moment of bliss was cut short by a confrontation. Spot walked up to Jack and the rest of the surfers’, presumably to start some shit.

“Surfers’ I thought I smelled something fishy.” His accent was similar to Jack’s, just louder.

“Beat it bikers we were here first.” Jack used his second-in-command voice this time, trying to scare the bikers off.

“Well why don’t you bikers make like the ocean and wave goodbye, cause Spot wants this place all to himself.” One of the bikers said.

Romeo cut in this time, “Medda told me herself she doesn’t want any rodents in here.”

“Yeah, youse better leave, cause Big Momma’s is surfer territory.” Jack squared up to Spot, who was shorter than Jack, but before anything happened Race came through the crowd.

“Not anymore”

“Excuse me, excuse me thanks.” He looked Spot in the eye before asking, “What?”

“My sister’s performing here tonight. And I, being the good older brother, want to support her and her dreams.” Considering the sweet sentiment he made that sound very intimidating. “So, you surfers better back off.”

“Luckily for you, the tides coming up, so we’re gonna head out, but you better be gone by tonight or else things are going to get messy.” Race stared at Spot for an extra second and neither boy backed down. “Go on boys”

The surfers walked out of Big Momma’s with Race going last. He whispered something to Spot before he walked out. The bikers settled into their seats and Dave dragged Katherine and Sarah outside.

“Okay we need a plan.”


	5. Big Momma's Big Shindig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave, Sarah, and Kath try to figure out a plan to get home. Instead, they go to a party. Lots of flirting and pining ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, this one took me a while to write. I forgot how weird the transitions were in TBM, plus i've never actually written a romantic relationship before, so i had to figure it out a bit. Thanks for reading and leave a comment!

“Davey’s right, we have to figure out how to get back. I have a very important flight to catch VERY soon.” Kath was nervous again. Sarah distracted her for a few minutes, but she has her priorities straight again. Kath started pacing before Sarah grabbed her arm to try and calm her down.

“Let’s just call- or try to find- our parents who haven’t been born yet.” Sarah trailed off as she realized their lack of connection to the modern world.

“Okay let’s just think this through. A storm brought us here, so a storm can take us home, right!” Dave said hopefully.

“Okay so we just wait for a storm to happen on this perfect, FICTIONAL beach?” Sarah held Kath a little tighter as she said that.

“Don’t worry Kate, there’s a storm at the end of the movie. We can just wait it out. Maybe it’ll be fun!” Sarah reassured her.

“Okay well what are we supposed to do now?” 

Racetrack, Jack, Crutchie, and Romeo came up to the trio and yelled at them, “Cowabunga, Dudes!” _Oh my god._ Katherine internally rolled her eyes. Unfortunately for her, her best friends retaliated.

“Cowabunga!”

“So guys, we are having a shredder shindig tonight at Big Momma’s. You should totally come by!” Race smiled brightly as he threw an arm around Jack.

“But I thought a biker was singing here tonight?” Katherine quietly asked.

The surfers stared at her blankly like a buncha NPCs.

“You have to just ignore the plot holes. They literally cannot go away.” Sarah whispered in her ear.

“Sounds bangin’- we’ll definitely be there!” Dave responded looking directly at Jack.

The surfers stride off laughing and hollering as Katherine shook Dave by the shoulders. “WHAT… THE…HELL! I HAVE A BIG LIFE-CHANGING THING TO DO IN THE *REAL* WORLD AND YOU WANT TO GO TO A PARTY? BECAUSE OF SOME PRETTY BOY?”

“Holy shit Dave, are you gonna hook up with Jack Kelly?” Sarah giggled.

“Hopefully yes. And you just asked what we were supposed to do. The storm won’t happen until the end of the movie and who knows when that will happen, might as well fill up our schedule!”  
  


Okay he was right. “Okay maybe you’re right but what are we supposed to wear to this ‘shindig’- our wetsuits?” As if to spite her, in that very moment, it was nighttime and they were all dressed to the nines. Kath in pigtails and a bright yellow flowy dress down to her knees. Dave in white shorts and a blue top. And Sarah in leather pants and a red bandana-esque top.

“Ugh.” Katherine couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t fucking believe it. But processing one’s emotions is complicated, and something more interesting caught her eye. “Is that my board?” She didn’t bring it up here- actually she hadn’t even thought of the board since they washed up from the storm.

“Yeah it is.” Sarah agreed. “Well now we know where it is! Stop worrying Kath, you look pretty and we have a shindig to attend!” Sarah grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. David trailed behind them, smiling at his stupid sister and clueless best friend.

It was hopping inside Big Momma’s. There was a shoo-bop band performing and surfers dancing on the floor. Romeo, Crutchie, Jack and Albert were shimming around together while Race sat behind them, enjoying himself but keeping an eye on the door. Jack saw Davey, Katherine, and Sarah by the door and waved them over.

“Hiya pals!” Jack clapped his hand on Davey’s shoulder as he greeted the trio. Davey went boneless and it was Sarah’s turn to smile at her stupid brother. “You alright doll?” Jack asked Davey.

“Yeah I’m ga-good, man. No worries.”

Katherine giggled at his near slip-up as Romeo and Crutchie came up to attempt to woo the girls.

“Can I offer you lovely ladies a drink?” Romeo asked. “It’s on me and Medda’s got the best milkshakes in town.”

“You know what- I’d love a strawberry milkshake, thank you Romeo.” Sarah gave him a smile and he turned a dark shade of red. He nodded and scurried off to presumably get her a milkshake.

“Hey Jack, we’ll be here for a while and I was wondering what y’all do for fun around here?” Dave really wanted Jack to like him, so he decided to start simple.

“Well, we love surfing obviously and we hang out here at Big Momma’s.” Jack brightly responded, giving Davey his full attention.

Dave laughed just a little. “Is there anything that _you_ like to do in particular?”

“Yeah, I got my own thing. I can show ya if you want.” He had a confident smile that made Davey’s heart flutter.

“I would love to.”

The two of them walked off all blush-ey and sweet with each other. Dave was outwardly ignoring Sarah’s eyebrow wiggles and suggestive hand movements.

Jack walked Dave out of Big Momma’s and around the back. “Medda is one of the nicest ladies you’ll ever meet. She lets me keep some supplies out here because I don’t have anywhere else to put it

There was a set-up that Dave recognized almost instantly. Jack made surfboards. There were a few planks of raw wood, sanding equipment, and lots of paint. It was all organized nicely on a long table under a tarp.

“So you like making surfboards?” Dave smiled. “Katherine’s uncle fixes them up sometimes, so I can appreciate the craft.”

“Yep and it’s real useful out here. I’ll also fix up boards sometimes, usually only for friends though. Sometimes I just like to reapply paint- even when the board don’t need it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being the creative type.” Dave was checking out an unfinished board on the table.

“With this one I’m planning to do something a little different. Instead of a pattern, I want to do somethin’ nicer. Maybe a landscape.”

The sides of their hands touched while resting on the board. Davey looked at Jack and thought he saw just the slightest blush. He prayed he wasn’t making it up.

“I think that sounds beautiful.”

“Maybe you could help me out sometime. I get a little swamped here and there.” Jack didn’t take his eyes off ~~their hands~~ the board.

Davey laughed a bit and gently pushed his shoulder against Jack’s. “That sounds like fun. I’d love to help you out.”

Jack finally looked up and caught Dave’s eye. Before he got too lost in the boy in front of him, he changed the subject. “You wanna see one of my finished projects? I won’t be selling it for a while.”

“Sure.” Davey answered, a little disappointed at Jack’s quick turnaround.

While Dave was returning the favor of a gay awakening, back inside Big Momma’s Sarah was happily slurping on her milkshake. “Those kids are sweet” she said to Katherine, motioning to the dancing Crutchie and Romeo.

“They really are, aren’t they?” Kath smiled back. She looked sweet in her pigtails. Sarah fought the urge to wrap an arm around her waist and never let go. Physical affection was her love language. She constantly tried to stop herself from falling all over Katherine. Dave always teased her for her crush and just told her to ask Katherine out. She never did though, Katherine thought of her as a friend and Sarah knew that. Didn’t change the fact that Kath was beautiful and about 99% of Sarah’s internal thoughts revolved around her.

“May I have this dance?” Katherine extended her hand and used a fancy voice. She knew how much this musical meant to Sarah, and she waned her to have fun while it lasts.

“Oh, it would be my pleasure.” Sarah responded in an equally fancy voice.

The girls practically flew to the dance floor. Outside, Dave was recovering from quite a shock. As it would turn out, Jack’s most recent project was Kath’s family board.

“Do you not like it or something?” Jack murmured sheepishly.

“No, no I love it- I’m a little speechless that’s all.” 

“Is that something you do a lot?” Jack asked.

“What? Go speechless? No, I spend most of my time trying to make my sister go deaf actually.”

“No. Love.” Davey looked a little confused and more than a little flustered. “That’s the third time tonight you used the word ‘love’.”

“Oh.” Jack was counting the words Davey said now. He seemed genuinely curious about why Davey decided to use the word ‘love’. Not many people around here used it as freely as he did. Jack wasn’t completely sure why he was fascinated with Davey and his vocabulary. _Love, love, love._ He couldn’t get it off his mind. Davey wasn’t sure how to respond. Their conversation ended with both boys contemplating their night, their dynamic, their dialect.

“We should get back inside.” Jack said, shaking away his thoughts and breaking the silence.

“Um, yeah. I’ve been dying to try one of those milkshakes.”

They walked back in with half the rhythm they walked out with. Davey threw Jack off course. They made their way over to where their friends were hanging out. Dave was happy to see Sarah and Kath dancing with each other. He was getting tired of their pining and obliviousness, respectively.

That when the bikers came in. Spot and Smalls Conlon, and each of their crews. They sauntered over to a booth on the opposite side of the room from the surfers, except for Smalls, who went over to grab some drinks from the kitchen. She gave Medda a big smile and dropped an extra dime in the tip jar. “Thanks Miss Medda!” She went over to where her fellow bikers were sitting.

“Here ya go, everybody!” She chirped.

“Thanks Smalls, those surfers didn’t give you any trouble, right?” Spot said, always the protective older brother.

“No, Spot, and they never do. I don’t even think they’re all that bad anymore.” Smalls confidently voiced her opinion. A slight gasp went around the table.

“All surfers is bad, Smalls.” Hotshot, Spot’s right-hand, piped in.

“Yeah, except for the ones that are very bad.” That got a laugh from the table. Spot’s voice recommended the silence, “Especially that Racetrack. I don’t quite know what’s up with him, but I know it’s something bad.”

Spot did know. He had every clue what was up with Racetrack Higgins. He just couldn’t share with the table (which had now moved on to an invigorating debate about the best drinks at Big Momma’s). Spot Conlon wasn’t stupid. He understood what the looks meant, the glances. He knew what Racetrack Higgins was hiding behind his stupidly blinding smile. The tricky part was- Spot wasn’t angry about it. He didn’t hate it. Not one bit.

“Oh! Girls, come’on it’s almost time!” Smalls excitedly jumped up from the table, dragging along her two best friends. They made their way to the stage, where the shoo-bop band was packing up. Spot moved his attention from the painstakingly addictive surfer to his little sister, who was about to sing a new song for the whole room to hear.


	6. Fallin' for Ya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smalls and Kath fall into the wrong arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, and i didn't edit it because i didn't really want to ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> leave some kudos and some comments! constructive criticism is always helpful

_The day started ordinary_

_Boys walking by (ooo ooo)_

_It was the same old story_

_Too fresh or too shy (ooo ooo)_

Sarah gasped. “Smalls is singing! It’s happening! Just follow my lead Kath, I’ve had this memorized since like, the fifth grade.”

_I’m not the kind to fall for a guy_

_who flashes a smile, (it goes on for miles)_

_Don’t usually swoon_

_But I’m over the moon, (cause he was just too cool for school.)_

Race stood up, and started walking aimlessly around the room, slowly making his way towards the stage as Smalls sung the chorus. Sarah and Kath kept dancing with everyone on the floor. Katherine stumbled from time to time, but Sarah always caught her, and put her back on track. Dave used the moment to take it all in. He memorized the already familiar room and all the faces in it. He traced his eyes back over to Jack. But He was already looking at him.

_[It feels like I tumbled from another world](https://genius.com/Teen-beach-movie-cast-falling-for-ya-lyrics#note-18462308) _ _  
Into your arms and it’s so secure  
Maybe I’ll stumble but I know for sure  
Head over heels I’m gonna be your girl_

The dance got a little advanced for Kath, she tripped backwards into Race. He caught her and pulled her into a dip with a twinkling smile. Davey looked away from Jack to see this, then saw Smalls about to spin. _Shit, she’s gonna fall!_ He ran over just in time to catch her as she fell off the stage.

_And now I’m_ _  
Falling for ya, falling for ya  
I know I shouldn’t but I  
I just can’t stop myself from  
Falling for ya, falling for ya  
Can’t hold on any longer  
And now I’m falling for you_

“You saved my life.” Smalls blushed as Dave gently put her down.

“Not really, the stage isn’t that tall.” Dave… didn’t know what to do. His mind was racing because Smalls was one of his first crushes as a kid, but Jack was right over there. Standing just off to the side.

“Guess I really fell for ya, huh?” She said with a laugh, “I’m Lela. But everybody calls me Smalls.”

“I know- I mean, it’s nice to meet you, I’m David. Your knight in shining board shorts” he couldn’t help himself but quote the movie. Smalls gave another flirty laugh.

In the middle of the dance floor, Race was still holding Katherine. “It’s nice of you to drop in.”

“Oh, um, sorry Racetrack. I didn’t see you.” Kath stammered out.

“Now that you do, do you like what you see?” Race winked with a flirty composition that he definitely didn’t have before.

“Um sure? Can you just give me a second?” Katherine got back to her feet and walked over to Sarah who, for the first time since they’d arrived, looked lost and out of place.

“What the hell.” Katherine gritted through her teeth, a communication tactic she had used quite a bit today. Sarah had a look on her face that Kath couldn’t quite place.

“I don’t know, but we might just have ruined the movie.” Sarah pointed at her brother, still holding Smalls.

“Oh shit. I’ll go get him” Katherine scurried over to David and Smalls. “Um Dave, can I have a second? Do you mind?”

“No, not at all! I’ll see you later David.” Smalls smiled sweetly at him and walked off.

“David we- DAVID!” Katherine clapped in his face after he didn’t respond. “David, I fell into Racetrack and Sarah thinks we messed up the movie.”

“Um, she’s probably right. Sorry I’m a little slow right now a lot of overwhelming things just happened to me.”

Katherine patted his head. “Come on let’s go outside and work this out.” She pulled him along and nodded at Sarah to get her to follow them. 

Spot Conlon shocked himself. He was having fun with his friends, watching people dance and his sister sing, when something happened. Race had a girl in his arms. And Spot _hated_ it. He knew he felt things he shouldn’t for Race, and he knew there was a possibility of him returning those feelings. But looking at him holding that girl. He looked happy. He was flirting with her now. _Oh god._ Spot wanted to tear her to shreds. Shit he was jealous. Incredibly jealous. So jealous he didn’t notice his sister’s near death experience, and the dweeb that saved her.

Someone else noticed the dweeb. Jack shouldn’t have been heartbroken. He had just met this boy, it’s not like he was in love with him. He didn’t even know if this boy liked him back, hell he didn’t know if he was LIKE him. Davey looked happy with Smalls. They were talking and laughing now. Jack was happy for Davey. He found a gal. It’s not like Jack would never see Dave again. He would be at the wedding and- holy shit Jack had to stop thinking about it now, he was getting ahead of himself.

Sarah was outside with Kath and David, who were having a heated discussion about the whole ‘messing up the movie’ thing. And she did care about this issue- she was just distracted. Things were getting too good. Katherine didn’t like her like that and she just needed a reminder. It would be okay. She focused back on the conversation. “Wait I missed the first half of this conversation. What’s going on?”

“I’m filling Katherine in about the Diabolical Weather Machine and George Wiesel and the Doctor twins.”

Katherine looked annoyed and confused.

“Don’t worry Katherine they only have like 10 minutes of screen time. It will not be difficult to beat them.”

“Okay 1.) this movie is so damn stupid and 2.) are Smalls and Racetrack in love with us now? Should we set them up? Will that fix the movie?” Katherine flailed her arms to emphasize her point.

“Yeah, maybe that will set the movie back on track and the storm will happen on time!” David said.

“Now we just have to figure out how to do that.”


	7. Oh, Great It's A Subplot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the evil masterminds of Wet Side Story, and Sarah and Jack become best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me forever to write. Idk why I just couldn't get into it lol. Hope y'all like it and leave a kudos or comments if you got something to say!

“Okay so what’s our plan?” Sarah asked for about the third time. It wasn’t her fault. Really. The three of them have gotten very good at interrupting each other and jumping around topics very quickly. It was one of the weirder side effects of friendship. Talking in circles until they completely lost sight of the original goal. Add in the fact that they were walking on a fake beach to an evil mastermind’s lair? This conversation was no where near as efficient as it should be.

“Okay so we are walking to the lighthouse.” Katherine pointed forward towards the building as she spoke. “Which is currently housing the bad guy and his evil doctor twins. Capeesh?”

“Capoosh.” The twins confirmed.

“And we are doing so to check on what these dudes are doing. For the sake of being thorough. Capeesh?”

“Capoosh.”

“And once we do that, we will go back to the beach. Dave and I will go to Smalls and Race and try to get them interested in each other, sparking a turf war, so bikers and surfers can eventually find friendship with each other and defeat Mr. Evil Guy. Capeesh? I’m not missing anything?”

“Capoosh.”

“One thing, what should I do on the beach.” Sarah asked.

“Valid question. I guess you can kinda do whatever you want, just don’t mess up the plot. And the same goes for me and Kath on that last point.” Dave said with the slightest bit of sorrow towards the end of the sentence.

“Awesome.” Sarah laughed. By the time the three of them had made their plan crystal clear, they had made it to the lighthouse.

At the top of the lighthouse, the Delancy twins were hard at work on some big machine, while Wiesel was plotting his plan.

“Once my diabolical weather machine is finished, I shall make the air so humid that the motorcycles rust and hair is ruined! And the biker and surfers will leave, forcing Medda bankrupt, and I SHALL OWN THE BEACH” He raved over his plan and laughed maniacally. Kath laughed at him.

“YOUR Diabolical Weather Machine?” One of the doctors asked, offended. “WE made the thing!”

“Oh yes, of course, Doctor. OUR Diabolical Weather Machine.” Wiesel said with a smile as he twirled his handlebar mustache. “Shouldn’t you be off manual? It’s almost finished.”

The other twin threw the manual he was previously reading behind him. “We are! I was just double checking.”

“And this _never_ won an Oscar?” Kath asked Dave with fake concern.

“Never even a nomination.” He countered sadly.

Back on the beach, the bikers had huddled around a small fire. Big Momma’s closed at sundown, but there were a few surfers straggling in and out.

“Surfers, so disrespectful.” Elmer spat out. “Big Momma’s is closed go home!”

“You ain’t home either!” A surfer yelled back.

Elmer just stuck out her tongue.

Finch batted her eyes at Spot. “Spotty, I’m cold.” Spot snapped towards Hotshot as he took off his coat and handed it to Finch. She was Smalls’ best friend and had been for years. Spot and Finch were good friends as well. Somehow, she had figured out Spot’s little ‘thing’ for Racetrack and while being shockingly supportive, loved to tease him for it. She often flirted with him in front of the bikers. Half to give him a cover and half to make him angry. She was a good friend.

Katherine, Sarah, and David were walking back towards Big Momma’s when Smalls saw them. She elbowed Finch in the side as nodded towards David. Finch smiled and nonverbally encouraged her to go and talk to him. She finally worked up the nerve and left the firepit.

“Hiya David!” She smiled and bit her lower lip. “Oh! And I’m sorry but, I didn’t get your name?”

“Smalls, this is my friend, Katherine.” Dave politely introduced the two girls. Which was honestly getting exhausting. There had been _so many_ introductions today.

“Nice to meet you, Katherine. And there was another girl walking with you earlier. Who was she?” Smalls asked sweetly.

“That was my twin sister, Sarah. She went inside ”

“You’re a twin!” Smalls gasped. “That’s so cool! My brothers are Irish twins… even though we’re not Irish.” Katherine laughed at that one.

Smalls looked between the two of them, her head spinning a bit, and realized her possible mistakes. “Bonkers! Are you two going steady? Because I would never want to take another girl’s man!”

“No! No don’t worry about it we are just friends.” Katherine reassured Smalls.

“Well on that note, David, would you like to talk a walk on the beach with me?” Smalls gave another flirty smile.

“Yeah of course! I’ll meet’cha down there in just a second.”

Smalls skipped off to a tiki torch further down the beach.

“She’s cute.” Katherine cooed.

“She’s gorgeous too. And I have to get her to hate me.” Dave sighed.

“Not hate you, just deflect her affections.” Katherine patted him on the back. “I’m gonna go talk to Racetrack I guess.”  
  


“Yeah, have fun!” Dave grimaced and walked over to Smalls as Kath walked to Race.

The second Sarah got inside Big Momma’s she discovered that it was in fact, closed. Jack was sweeping the floor when he saw her and told her this information. She turned around, ready to leave, but remembered that she didn’t have anywhere to go.

“You can stay though. Help me clean up.” Jack offered, noticing her hesitation.

“Sure, I’d love to help!” Sarah responded, thankful for the opportunity to do something.

“If you could put all the chairs on the table, then grab the extra broom in the back and sweep with me. I already wiped everything down, so you’re good to start there.”

“Awesome.” She said, starting her chores. There was silence for a few minutes before Sarah asked, “Where is the broom again?”

“It’s in the back, between the stove and the sink. It’ll be on your left.” Jack directed Sarah through the kitchen.

“Thanks.” She started sweeping across the room from Jack.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked after a few more beats of silence.

“What? Yeah. I’m all good. Just a bit tired.”

“You sure?” She nodded. “Well where did Davey and Kath go?”

“I’m sure you saw the fiasco that went on earlier, with Smalls falling off the stage and Dave caught her.”

“Yep.” Jack huffed.

“Well Kath, at the same time, ran into Race and now they are doing their respective things on the beach.”

“Yowza. They left ya here?” Jack was upset about Davey, but being left behind by your two best friends? That must hurt.

“Yep.” Sarah smiled up at Jack, visibly annoyed.

“Well, who needs them?” _I do._ Jack and Sarah both thought, about different halves of said duo. “I’ll be your best friend tonight!” Jack brightly smiled for Sarah.

She laughed. “Okay.”

Jack waltzed over to the jukebox and popped in a nickel. _Eight Days a Week_ started playing as he turned around and started dancing with his broom. Sarah was laughing in the middle of the room now. She started dancing too, when Jack swooped in, exchanging his broom for Sarah.

“Really me? Over Miss Broom? She’s quite a beauty I can’t believe she let you have a dance!” Sarah used her fancy voice, as if they were at some grand ball.

“Nobody’ll tell you this but, she’s a bit of a bitch.” Jack whispered as he looked over his shoulder as if he was checking to see if the broom was listening.

Sarah laughed again and the two of them danced ‘til the song ended.

“You know, if ya ever need anything, let me know. I can pull a lotta strings around here if ya need a place to stay.” Jack said, still swaying around.

“I think we’re good for tonight, but I might take you up on that offer.” Sarah said gratefully.

“Shit, I don’t mean to sound creepy or anything” He stammered out, “But I like ya Sarah, and Kat. And your brother.” He blushed a little and Sarah smiled at her new best friend.

“It’s no worries. We like you too. Especially my brother.” Jack turned bright red there. Sarah laughed for what must have been the millionth time since she came in.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

“Night, Sarah.”


	8. Meant to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smalls and Dave go on a date. And so do Kath and Racetrack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO sorry it took me forever to write this. Luckily i’m already half way through the next chapter! tell me what you think and leave kudos if you like it!

Dave walked over to the lifeguard shack that Smalls was leaning against. She was picking at her cuticles before she saw David. She looked up and gave him the most charming smile she could muster. And it worked, boy did it work.

“Why, hello again!” she batted her eyes at Dave. _This is gonna be a long night._ He thought.

“Hiya Smalls.” Dave returned a bright smile. “May I?” He held out an arm to escort her down the beach. He just couldn’t help himself.

She blushed and took his arm. “I wanted to thank you again for earlier. I could have broken a nail if you didn’t catch me.” She joked.

“I would never let that happen.” Dave shook his head and laughed with her. They walked in silence for a bit, before Dave asked, “Do you really hate the surfers?”

“What? Oh no. At least I don’t. Maybe Spotty does, but…” she trailed off into silence.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Dave apologized.

“No, it’s okay. Honestly the ‘feud’ is pretty stupid. There is absolutely room for all of us at Big Momma’s.” She laughed again, slightly forced this time. “Do you surf?” She perked up again.

“Yes! All the time. But I’m not a ‘Surfer’, I just surf.” He awkwardly explained and Smalls giggled at his attempt.

“Cool. You know, I’ve always wanted to try.” She flirted.

_Fuck fuck fuck._ “Um you know who’s a really good teacher?” Dave said, a desperate attempt to save himself. “Racetrack!”

“Racetrack? The head surfer?”

“Yes! He’s wonderful!”

Smalls gave a curt laugh, “My brother would slaughter me.”

“I mean if you’re gonna surf, might as well go all out.” Dave laughed with her. They turned around, walking back towards Big Momma’s.

“Do you ever think about love? About soulmates.” Smalls said dreamily.

_Well that’s off topic._

~

Back by Big Momma’s Kath was talking to Race. They were leaning against a car, surrounded by fairy lights and surfboards. It would have been romantic, if they weren’t with each other. “So, what do you do for fun around here?” She was being so awkward. She really wasn’t in love with this whole ‘stuck in a movie thing’.

“Oh, you know. Surf, hang out, play.” He gestured to the guitar in his hands. He started strumming.

“Well then, do you know any songs?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.” Katherine accepted her fate as a role in a musical as Race started singing.

_I believe we all have a soulmate  
A chance for a perfect duet  
I believe in hopeless devotion  
I just haven't found it yet  
But in my mind I see  
The chick who is meant for me_

Kath inwardly cringed at the way he held the note, ‘chick’. It felt haunted. _  
_  
  


_She'll be someone who is lovely  
Someone wonderful and true_

Dave and Smalls had just arrived beside Big Momma’s when Smalls started her part of the duet.

  
_The kinda boy who makes you smile  
Even when you're feeling blue  
_  
Kath and Dave made eye contact as their dates started singing in perfect pitch.

  
_Oh I know, I know she's/he's out there, most definitely  
Not a phony or a fake, sweeter than a chocolate shake  
My meant to be!_  
  
Kath swallowed her pride and sung to Tanner as he spun her around.

  
_You need a girl who's into music  
To ride up high on Cupid's wings_

Dave joined in.

_  
Find that boy with perfect hair  
Hello, Hollywood ending with strings_  
_And I know, I know he's out there, can't you see?  
(Oh, yeah)  
Maybe you've already met the one you'll never forget  
Your meant to be!_  
  
Kath started to get into it. She thought this was going to be harder. But it was just like writing, she just thought about her muse.

  
_'Cause when it's meant to be, the stars seem to glisten  
Meant to be, all the clouds depart  
When it's meant to be, that's destiny callin'  
And if you listen you'll find your heart_

The four of them were mere meters apart. Then, Dave abandoned Kath and sung the bridge with Smalls and Race, which she didn’t know. She tried to keep up but cut her losses quickly.

  
_Four eyes meet, and the meet is sweet  
Could it lead to something more?  
What's the deal, when the way you feel  
Is something you've never felt before?_  
  
Dave spun Smalls into Race as Kath was leading him closer to her. They bumped together.

_Oh!  
Gee!_  
  


They quickly separated and walked off. Leaving Kath and Dave to reunite for only a second.

_Um...  
Plan B?_

As the rest of the cast “la la la’d” Kath and Dave kept up their pathetic attempts to get Smalls and Race together. After the dance number can to a close, everyone ran off into the night.

“Good night, Dave. I had lots of fun!” Smalls kissed him on the cheek before running to catch up with her brother.

“Good night Racetrack.” Katherine was much more awkward with her farewell, instead of kissing him on the cheek, she shook his hand. Dave stifled a laugh.

“Oh get over it, at least I’m sticking to the plan!” Katherine defended herself, “Speaking of the plan how the hell did we not think about sleeping arrangements?” “Shit.”


	9. Out by the Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave, Katherine, and Sarah spend the night on the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I actually like this chapter, i didn't mean for the angst to pop out but it did just a little bit.
> 
> tw// there is a lot of talk about a knife but it's pretty much a joke- no one is harmed, though there is a (hopefully) comedic mention of it.
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment! i read them all and they absolutely make my day!

Sarah walked out of Big Momma’s feeling WAY better than before. Jack was wonderful. If she wasn’t a lesbian, she would totally hit that. Her good mood was dampened when she saw Katherine with her head in her hands. Dave was waving her over.

“Guess who forgot to make plans for tonight!?” Dave said dramatically before pointing at himself and Kath.

“Shit.” Sarah said. _Jack offered his place and I said no. I’m just not gonna bring it up._ She thought, knowing full well she was gonna tell the both of them later.

“Honestly, lets just sleep on the beach.” Kath took her hands off her face to see the twins staring at her, flabbergasted. “What? We’ve done it before!”

“For a couple of hours! Not a whole night!” Dave was still speaking with the upmost drama.

“She’s got a point, we are on a fictional beach.” Sarah swayed to Katherines side. “Who’s gonna murder us?”

“Wiesel and the Delancy Doctors.” Dave bluntly announced.

“Ohh yeah, I heard death by Diabolical Weather Machine is excruciating.” Katherine said sarcastically.

Sarah laughed and said, “Come‘on Dave, we can gossip on the beach then take a little nap it’s no big deal.” 

“It’s not a nap Sarah it’s going to bed. Outside. In a strange place.”

“Ok well we don’t have much of a choice so, what’s gonna make you comfortable.” She looked around for an idea, “Let’s steal a knife!”

“No.” the twins said.

“Okay.”

There was a moment of silence as Kath tried to think of something else.

“Let’s borrow a knife.” Dave said quietly.

“I’m good with that, you good with that?” Kath pointed at Sarah.

“As long as we give it back first thing.” She didn’t want to steal from a nice lady’s store. Especially after the amount of comfort the space just gave her.

Kath and Sarah decided to go in through the back while Dave kept watch. Sarah was picking the lock (it wasn’t hard to do-her bobby pin did the trick). It had been on her mind all night, and she figured now was a good time to ask because of Dave’s absence.

“How was your date?” she asked in an ever-so-slightly bitter tone.

“Awkward” Kate laughed. “Really fucking awkward.”

Sarah forced a laugh, “Good.” _Shit I meant to say that in my head._

There was a moment of awkward silence, which never happens between the two girls. Katherine eventually muttered out a, “what?” but Sarah had picked the lock by then.

They ran inside and went into the kitchen. They didn’t have to worry about security cameras because- hey, 1960.

“How about this one?” Sarah held up a big ass knife.

“It doesn’t have a pointy tip. Dave’s gonna need something to easily stab with- no strategy.” She made a stabbing hand motion to accentuate her point.

“Right.” Sarah ignored her joke and picked up a smaller, albeit pointer knife.

“Are you okay?” Katherine asked. “You seem off.” She was right.

“Ya, I’m fine.” Sarah said with a rising aggression.

“Really? ‘Cause I don’t believe you.”

“Just let it go Katherine.”

Katherine didn’t respond as Sarah walked out. She usually played along with Katherine, and rarely gets serious with her. And she never calls her Katherine. When Katherine finally caught up with Sarah, Dave already had his knife.

“Happy?” Kath asked.

“Yes.” Dave said very matter-of-factly. “And I don’t know what’s up your ass, but I doubt there will be space on the beach for you too pull it out.”  
  


And so they walked. They found a place to sleep under a curving rock. There was plenty of room for all of them, and it was a good distance away from Big Momma’s (Dave thought it would be to awkward if someone found them sleeping on the beach). Sarah ~~stole~~ brought a tiki torch so they could see each other. Dave dug himself a little hole and snuggled up next to his knife.

“So that was a busy day.” Dave said, absolutely ready to talk about it for hours.

“Yeah, with some pretty hot boys.” Sarah said to tease Dave, and to get her small revenge against Racetrack for stealing her crush.

“Yeah.” Dave said dreamily.

“Are you actually gonna hook up with Jack?” Kath asked.

“I damn hope so.”

“What about Smalls?” Sarah softly kicked her brothers head as she asked.

“She’s cute, but..” Dave trailed off.

“She’s probably not as hung as Jack.” Katherine teased.

Dave turned bright red and Sarah broke into a belly laugh.

“So now you’re in a good mood?” Kath snapped at Sarah.

“Woah.” Dave said quietly. Sarah didn’t say anything.

“No really Sarah, tell me how to cheer you up. Because today I prepared myself to move across the continent, almost drowned in a wave, but instead surfaced to a fictional beach in a musical that I don’t like, then I went on a date with some strange boy with porcelain teeth, and now my best friend is being bitchy because god knows what.” She stood up and stormed out the best she could considering they were on an open beach.

“What the hell?” Dave said. Sarah looked after Katherine. “I’ll follow her Sarah, don’t worry about it. I’ll calm her down.”

“No. It’s my problem Dave.” Sarah was really tempted to let Dave figure it out. But in all honesty, Sarah started this, and she felt responsible to finish it. She got up to follow Katherine to the shoreline, and Dave hunkered down to pretend to go to sleep.

“I’m sorry I’ve been weird Kath.”

“I don’t care that you’ve been weird, I care about why you’ve been weird. We’ve been friends for years and we never talk about anything important.”

She wasn’t wrong. “I’m sorry Kath I just-”

“Just what? Stop walking around your point and fucking say it!”

“No!” and instead of talking about her feelings, she grabbed Katherine’s collar and pulled her into a kiss.

Katherine stood in shock for a second before wrapping her arms around Sarah’s waist and kissing her back. Sarah’s hands moved to Katherine’s lower neck and collarbone. They moved together in tandem, two pieces fitting perfectly together. Sarah turned her head and deepened the kiss, lacing her hand through Katherine’s hair.

“Wait.” Katherine pulled back. “What just happened?”

Sarah stared at Kath with her hair messed up and her cheeks pink. “Nothing, just forget it.” Sarah started walking away.

“No! Sarah.” Katherine ran in front of her. “I liked it, I had fun, I mean- fuck.” Katherine took a deep breath. “I like you. And I really like kissing you. But you HAVE to tell me what’s going on.”

Sarah’s heart stopped beating. Her breath was shallow. “Um, I- Can we-, this is a lot I’m sorry.”

Kath grabbed her hand.

“I was… god this is embarrassing, I was jealous. Of Race.” Sarah sheepishly admitted.

“Why?” Katherine smiled with just the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t know.” Sarah nervously laughed.

“There’s no need for that.” Katherine pulled Sarah closer. “Race isn’t girlfriend material, is he?”

“I guess not.” Sarah laughed, her hands shaking.

“So, would you let me take you to dinner? When we get back?” Katherine moved in to kiss Sarah again before she was cut off.

“I thought you were moving to New York?”

“Shit.” Katherine muttered.

“Guess we missed our chance, huh? Sarah pulled away and walked back to their cove. Katherine stayed by the water.

“What happened?” Dave piped up as soon as Sarah came back.

“It got worse.” Sarah choked out, tears brimming her eyes. Dave came out of his little ditch and hugged Sarah, as she cried into his shoulder. Katherine didn’t come back in.


	10. A 'Singular Situation'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Katherine talk about their romantic troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than i expected it to be but i hope you enjoy it! Please tell me what you think- it means a lot to me! and come hang out on tumblr @heresforthegays ! 
> 
> TW: There are mentions of homophobia and internalized homophobia but nothing too serious or graphic. Be careful and do what's best for you!

Katherine slept for maybe an hour. She had no coherent thoughts, just Sarah. She really did try to solve the issue at hand. But going to school was an immovable obstacle. She had dug this hole herself and she couldn’t crawl out of it. School was unavoidable, if it wasn’t now it would be college. But Sarah would have time to process leaving for college. Katherine was a dick. _I can’t believe I didn’t tell them! I hurt Sarah._ Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Her thoughts kept falling to beautiful Sarah. After hours of trying to think clearly, she had only concluded that she was unequivocally, incredibly, and deeply in love with Sarah. Not that she hadn’t known before.

She woke up before sunrise, and despite the tiny voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like David Jacobs, she decided to grab her surfboard and go out on the water.

As she reached for her board, she was stopped by a harsh, “HEY!” She jumped and turned around to see Jack running towards her before he registered that it was her.

“Oh, Katherine. Sorry. I thought you were stealing my board.” He laughed as he admitted to his false accusation.

“No, I’m just looking.” Katherine lied. _His board? What the fuck?_

“She’s a beaut’ ain’t she?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to check her out.” After a moment of looking at her(his?) board, she asked. “Would you mind if I took it out for a few hours?”

Jack contemplated her offer. “Sure, but sand it after you finish. And if you break it you buy it. This technically belongs to the old man down the way.”

“I’ll take good care of it.” Katherine was way too emotionally exauhsted to figure out why Jack is selling her board. But her body hasn’t moved in hours, she’s getting antsy. “Wanna come?” Kath knew better than to surf alone on a strange beach. And she figured, why not ask him?

“That what I came down here to do!” He ran inside and came back out wearing his purple swim trunks. Katherine was just slipping on her wetsuit. The two of them walked down to the water and surfed for a little while. Jack eventually paddled over to compliment her.

“Hell, you’re good at this.” He smiled as he ran his fingers through his frustratingly not wet hair.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing it for a while.”

“How’d ya learn?”

“Dave taught me years ago. More like he perfected my craft.”

“Davey, huh?” Jack said wistfully.

Kath smiled at him teasingly, “What about him?”

Jack went red. “Nothin’.”

Kath giggled. “Doesn’t seem like nothin’” she imitated his slurred speech and deep voice. Jack went quiet and it suddenly felt like she was with a different person. “I know it’s not my place to do this, but he likes you too.”

“No.”

“What?”

“That’s not how things work ‘round here Kate. I don’t know where you come from, but that doesn’t just _happen_ here. Especially to me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it you know. No matter what everyone else says, what you feel isn’t wrong.”

“But I like girls. I’ve never…” he sighed “not until Davey.”

“Awww” Kath cooed. She looked at his face and realized her reaction was inappropriate. “Sorry.”  
  


“It’s just- ugh- I know I can’t but he so…” Jack obviously wasn’t done talking about his feelings and Katherine applauds his boldness. “amazing, and nice, and cute, and he surfs, and he’s so open about his existence. He walked onto the beach and he was like ‘Hi I’m David!’ and it’s been all eyes on him ever since. And that smile and those hands! His whole presence is unapologetic and hot.” Jack looked surprised by his own words. “But Smalls is into him, and I mean it makes sense they’d be great together. So” he took a deep breath. “I can’t”  
  


“First of all, why do you care about what some biker thinks?”

“Human decency” Jack said.

“Whatever! Dave is into you. Like so into you.”

“But I can’t-”

“Screw can’t!” Katherine cut him off. “The only person stopping you from doing this is you. Everybody else? It’s none of their business! If you like him, go for it! Worst comes to worse- it doesn’t work out. Dave’ll be quiet about it- especially if you ask him and explain it so he understands it’s not him you’re ashamed of.”

“I don’t know.” He sighed again, sounding tired.

“If it makes you feel better, I like girls and boys too.”

“I don’t like boys I like Davey, okay? It’s a singular situation.”

“Okay well I like one girl too. And I royally fucked it up with her so take your chance while you have it.”

Just then, they heard a yell and looked on shore to see Dave in a wetsuit, waving around his arms to get their attention. Kath waved back.

“Now’s your chance.”

“What? I-”

“Take it or leave it man. But I’m going in.”

“Kath.” She looked at him, but kept paddling forward. “Is it Sarah?”  
  


“Yeah.”

Kath paddled in and gave Dave the surfboard so he could go out there. They talked for about a minute, Jack looked away and tried not to think to hard about their conversation. It wasn’t to hard to ignore- only one thing was coming to his mind. “take your chance while you have it.”


	11. A Confession or Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Davey go on a date :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fun times ahead! leave a comment and tell me what you think! also i didn't proofread very well, so hopefully there are no wierd mistakes lol
> 
> Slight TW: Jack panics a little bit, and Dave's fear of heights is mentioned. That may not need a TW but I just wanna be careful

Dave woke up next to Sarah at sunrise. She was still asleep, so he slowly stood up and went to look for Kath. She was sitting on her board about a half a mile out. Jack was with her. Dave raised his arms and called out to them. Kath waved back and said one more thing to Jack before paddling on shore.

“Morning Dave!”

“Morning Kath.”

“You wanna go out?”

“Do you wanna talk to me about last night?” He grabbed the board she offered him as she took a deep breath.

“Do you wanna talk about how Jack thinks he made this board?”

“Oh shit I forgot to tell you that.”

“Well I handled it so, go have fun.” She hesitated for a second before walking towards Big Momma’s.

Dave looked out towards Jack to see him surfing some smaller waves. He made eye contact with him and then jack fell face first off of his board. Dave giggled as Jack resurfaced. Dave went out to meet him.

“You good?” Davey asked as he reached Jack, who was now straddling his board.

“Yes, and I promise I can actually surf too.” Jack laughed at his own stupid mistake. In his defense, he was distracted by the boy on the beach who had sand in his hair.

“Prove it.” Davey laughed as he went out to catch a wave. Jack couldn’t believe how quickly he was whipped by this boy.

After 30 or so minutes of surfing (and some wipe-outs), Davey swam in and sat on the beach. Jack quickly followed him.

“Most people around here don’t get up this early.” Jack had found a smooth rock to sand his surfboard with and started working.

“The best waves are early.” Davey said, his eyes not leaving Jacks hands.

“Tell Crutch and Rome that. All they want to do is get better at surfing, but I can never drag them out of bed. They’re all, ‘What’s the point Jackie? There are no chicks out there!’” Jack’s voice went high as he imitated the younger boys.

“How do you get to them that early? My parents never wake up before they absolutely have to, and letting one of my friends in is definitely not necessary to them.”

“I just go in through the back. I know how to be quiet, no one in my family likes to get up either, it must be an island thing.”

“Who do you live with?”

“My parents and my siblings! Who do you live with?” Jack said laughing because of Davey’s weird question.

Davey laughed. “Sarah, my little brother, and my parents. Not Kath, although I’ve spent plenty of nights at her house.”

“Katherine told me you taught her how to surf.”

“Taught is a strong word. I gave her technique.” His voice rose on ‘technique’ just to give it some flair.

“Does Sarah know how?”

“Yes, but she doesn’t like it as much as Kath and I. She prefers swimming and exploring in the water.”  
  


“That’s cool. My sister wants to surf but my brother won’t let her. He’s the oldest so he’s got a massive superiority complex.”

“She should do what she wants. You could teach her!”

“Nah he’s just jealous. I taught myself when we were pretty young, and he could never figure it out. Besides, Smalls is too much of a sweetheart to hurt Spot’s feelings.”

“Holy Shit Smalls is your sister?”  
  


“Fuck.” Jacks eyes widened. “Don’t tell anyone!”

“No one knows?” Davey laughed with shock, and then realized the uncomfortable part of this news. “Oh my god, I went on a date with your sister!”

“I know.” Jack said, trying to hide his disappointment with excitement, failing miserably. His attempt was followed with an awkward silence, the first the two had shared. “Have you ever gone cliff diving?” Jack hopefully asked, trying to reconstruct the chemistry he already missed.

“Yes!” Davey stood up as if he was ready to go. They ran a mile down the beach and reached a huge rock above the water.

“It’s totally safe, Spot deemed it deep enough a couple of years ago.”

“Spot’s protective, isn’t he?”  
  


“No, just annoying.”

The two of them climbed up the rock. The higher they went, Davey realized the drop he was about to take. They reached the top and Davey clung onto Jack’s arm. “I didn’t tell you this before. But I may have a teeny-tiny fear of heights.”

“Well why did you agree to come up here?” Jack felt responsible for Davey’s fear, but he didn’t mind the contact between the two of them.

“I don’t know, it sounded fun when we were on the ground! And I’ve done this before so I thought I would be fine this time!” Davey nervously laughed.

“What if we go at the same time?” Jack asked, and in a moment of courage, grabbed Davey’s hand. It was the first time Jack saw him blush.

“Okay.”

“1…2…3!”

The two of them leaped from the rock and into the water below. “That was so much fun!” Davey said like an excited kid.

“Wanna go again?” “Yes!”

The two of them climbed the rock again, and again, and again. Davey was less scared each time, but kept his distance to Jack small. Extremely small. After the fourth or fifth time, Jack trailed behind Davey and sat on one of the ledges of the rock, facing the ocean.

“Little legs can’t go any longer?” Davey teased him.

“Hey! At least these little legs don’t mind altitude!”

Davey laughed as he sat down by Jack. He looked at the mid-morning sun, and Jack looked at him. “So, you ain’t scared anymore?”

“No. Not with you.” Davey said as he turned to look at Jack’s big brown eyes. _God he’s beautiful._

Jack thought back to Katherine’s words. What was stopping him? It was just him and Davey. And they were already close. All he had to do was lean- oh. _Oh._ Davey was kissing him. _Davey is kissing me._ And all the sudden that was his whole world. No beach, no ocean, no people. Just thee boy with one hand on his arm and one on his neck. Jack brought his hands from Davey’s knee up to his waist. No surfboards, no bikes, no paint. Davey leaned his head to the side and traced Jack’s jaw with a soft touch. Jack sighed. No Race, no Spot, no Smalls. _Shit! Smalls!_ Jack pulled back.

“Woah, what’s wrong!” Davey was worried, he didn’t want Jack to feel pressured or uncomfortable. Maybe he went too fast.

“Are you going with my sister?” Jack asked, he knew the answer would break his heart, but he needed to know.

“No! No, I’m not!”

“Last night you went on a date.” Jack stood up, heart beating fast with the world crashing down around him.

“Jack can you sit down please, I don’t want you to fall.” Davey said in a soothing voice, trying to calm Jack’s visible panic. After a couple of deep breaths, Jack sat next to Davey.

“Are you okay?” Davey asked, wanting to hug Jack, but refraining to.

“Yeah, I think so. But tell me what’s going on with you and Smalls because I cannot hurt my baby sister like that. Okay? I won’t.”

“I know, and there’s nothing between us. ‘Date’ is a strong word for what happened last night. We just went on a walk. Okay. That’s it.”

“It seemed pretty romantic to me!”

“No! She just wanted to thank me for catching her when she fell off the stage! Besides, I was trying to set her up with Race.”  
  


“Race?! Why?!”  
  


“Um” Dave felt like a dick. “He asked me to?” Dave’s voice sounded insecure about his lying abilities.

“That doesn’t make any sense, he would have told me.”

“Okay, um. If I tell you the truth, you promise not to freak out?”

“Yeah.” Jack said. And Dave told him the truth. The whole truth. And Jack freaked out.

“A MOVIE?”

“Yes.”

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, DAVE!”

“I know, but just because this is a movie for me, doesn’t make your life any less real!”

“IT ABSOLUTELY DOES!”

“That kiss felt real.”  
  


Jack was silent. That kiss did feel real. He wished it didn’t. “Movie or not, you can’t tell anyone about that. People ‘round here..” he trailed off into thought.

“I know Jack, but please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not.” Jack meant it. “I wouldn’t have a better plan if I were you. But you have to end things with my sister. That isn’t fair to her.”

“I know and I will. I’m sorry Jack I really am.” Jack believed him. Jack honestly believed that he couldn’t be mad if he tried. Especially with Davey’s good intentions and sincere apology.

“Davey, can I kiss you again?” Jack asked, wanting everything to just be normal again. As normal as it could be with Davey around anyway.

“Yes.” And so he did, gently this time. With intent of apologies, acceptance, and maybe even a confession.


	12. Surfin' and Sand Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kath and Dave introduce their new friends to the idea of a Sand War. Spot and Race have a moment and the trio(thankfully) get plans for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry it's been forever! I had a busy week and this chapter was giving me some trouble. I wanted to cite an element of this story to @Rehearsal_Dweller because they introduced me to the whole 'nicknames but romantic' thing i touch on in this(I dont use it very much but i feel bad not citing her lol). Go check them out- all those fics are amazing! 
> 
> As always let me know what you think!

By the time Jack and Davey made it back, Big Momma’s was bustling with surfers and bikers alike. Sarah and Katherine were wolfing down eggs and coffee at the breakfast bar. It was unusually quiet between the two of them. Davey walked up to them, closely followed by Jack.

“I’m glad the two of you are having breakfast, but how are we going to pay for it?” Dave announced to the ladies.

“I can pay for it.” Jack chimed in.

Davey turned and looked at him, “No, you don’t have to do that.”

“But I can.” Jack smiled. “I got an open tab here. Besides, the money may not be real.” He whispered that last part to Davey with a wink. _At least he’s accepting it._ Davey thought, still concerned for Jack’s health over the whole, ‘you actually live in a movie’ thing. “Is there anything you want, Davey?”

“No, I think he already ate.” Katherine snickered. “Ate dick.” Ah, the humor of a sleep deprived girl.

“Well, thank you Jack, for paying for breakfast and please forget every word Katherine has ever said to you.” Sarah said over Kath’s laughter. “And I can help you close up again, if you need it.”

“I’d love that Sarah! Actually, how about you come and meet Medda. She’s in the back.”

“Sure!” Sarah chugged her coffee and went with Jack.

“So, did y’all work it out?” Davey sat down next to her and started to finish Sarah’s eggs.

“We decided not to talk about it.”

“No! That’s not how you fix things, Kate!”

“Tell your sister that. I told her everything last night.” Kath went quiet. “So how was your date with Jack?”

“It was good.” Davey smiled, knowing Kath wanted to be distracted.

“Tell me all about it!”

“Well we surfed, and we swam. And I kissed him.”

Katherine squealed. “Oh my god you did! That’s amazing!”  
  


“It was, but also. I, um, kindatoldhimthathisrealityisactuallyamovie.”

“What?” Kath choked on her coffee. “Why would you do that?”

“It’s a long story, but I’m also backing out of the plan to get Smalls and Race together.”

“What?!”

“I’m breaking up with her. Not that we were really dating though.”

“Why?”

“Smalls is Jack’s sister.”

“Oh shit. I get it now.”

“Okay so you’re cool with it?”

“Yeah, and I’m happy for you Dave. He’s really hot you scored, man.” Katherine smiled at her friend. She really was happy for him, but also a little jealous. Maybe she fell for the wrong twin. Logistically it should have been Dave. But it never was. “Speaking of Smalls, there she is.” Katherine nodded her head towards the door. Dave stood up and walked over.

“Hi David!” Smalls said, cheerily.

“Hey Smalls! Can we talk outside for a second?” The two of them went outside together in order to escape the large amount of protective bikers inside.

“So, I had a lot of fun yesterday. But I think we could have more fun as friends.” _Ew that was the grossest thing I’ve ever said._

“Oh. Okay.” Smalls smile fell. “I’ll see you around then.” There was a beat of silence before she walked back inside. Dave decided to wait out here for a minute. He felt bad for Smalls, but Jack was right. He couldn’t lie to her. And he really wanted to be with Jack. Apparently, he had been waiting for too long, because Kath came out and announced her boredom. “Jack and Sarah are still working.”

“Well considering we are the fun ones, I’m sure we can figure out what to do.” Dave said playfully. He wanted some mindless fun too. A lot happened this morning, he was happy, but he wanted to fuck around with his best friend on a beach.

“We could go surfing.” They looked at the crowded ocean and decided against it.

“We could build a sandcastle.” Dave piped in. But he knew where this was going.

“Or” Katherine broke into a shit-eating grin. “We could have a Sand War.”

“A Sand War? Katherine don’t you know that’s immature and foolish.” Dave said sarcastically before swiftly leaning over and throwing a handful of sand onto Katherine.

Let it be known that the Sand Wars are, objectively, stupid. Considering plastic, trash, thorns, and crabs or shells in the sand, one can be physically harmed by a Sand War. God forbid someone doesn’t close their eyes fast enough when taking a hit. But the Jacobs twins created this game years ago, after they watched _Star Wars_ for the first time. Considering they didn’t have lightsabers to play with, they decided to conform the story to their own surroundings. After years of playing they strayed farther from the structured game and opted for just throwing sand at each other. Sand Wars is an art, and the twins and Kath had mastered it.

There are only a couple of rules.

1.) Wet sand is used only by the winner, after the game is won.

2.) The winner is whoever can push the enemy into the ocean first.

3.) If playing with teams, any team member pushed into the water marks the downfall of the entire team.

4.) If you are hurt, surrender and you will not be ridiculed.

5.) No kicking sand, only throwing. (Try to avoid the eyes, but that’s more of a guideline)

Katherine quickly retaliated Dave’s attack, scooping double the amount of sand in her hand as he ran away. They chased each other all over the beach. Dave smacked into Albert, grabbed his shoulders and asked for help. He quickly explained the game, and the two boys teamed up against Katherine, almost pushing her into the ocean. Covered in sand, she saw Crutchie and Romeo and promised them a milkshake if they helped her. Dave called her out for hiring mercenaries, but not before he got s sand ball to the chest. While defending herself, she gave Crutchie and Romeo the basics. Eventually, Kath, Romeo, and Crutchie had turned the tide of the war, and had Dave fell into the water.

“AHHH” He yelled as he laid in the water. He saw Jack and Sarah walk out of Big Momma’s “Sarah! You in for round two?” He yelled.

“Hell yeah!” She yelled back.

It was a big war now. It was Dave, Albert, Jack, and Sarah against Katherine, Crutchie, Romeo, and Race. They were on Round Three now, with one win for each team (Jack cornered Race into the water at the end of round two). Every one of them was covered in sand. The beach had mostly cleared around them, and the game was getting intense. Unfortunately for him, Spot had decided to see what was happening outside. The lunch rush was far over in Big Momma’s, and she didn’t serve dinners, so almost everyone was gone. He had only taken a few steps before possibly the most embarrassing thing in his life happened. He took a wad of sand to the face. He hated sand.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Race, of all people, ran up to him. “Are you okay?”

“Um, I mean, yeah.” Spot’s eyes stung but, he was going to play it cool if it was the last thing he does.

“Oh, come inside let me help you.” Race asked.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t need help from a surfer.”

“Come’on! Let’s at least clean out your eyes inside.” Race pleaded. And Spot agreed. The two boys went into the small bathroom. Race lowered Spot head to the sink and turned on the water. “Is the temperature good?”

“Yeah it’s fine.” Spot was glad Race couldn’t see his face, because he knew how bright red he was.

“Keep your eyes open for a second. Make sure all the sand comes out.” Race worried over Spot for a few minutes before deciding he was ok.

“Okay, you wait here. I’m going to go grab a towel for you.” Race scurried out of the bathroom. Spot stood up and wiped his eyes. He felt much better now, but he wanted to calm down a bit before Race came back. Race went out with a girl last night. Spot had to stop with this whole thing. He probably couldn’t.

Race came back in with a hand towel and started drying Spot’s face, “You feel any better?”

Spot went speechless. Race was close to him. Really close.

“You’re bright red! Does it still hurt?” Race was concerned more than he thought he would be. “I’m so sorry, Spot. Is there anything else I can do?”

Spot ignored every ounce of anxiety he had and asked him for a milkshake. Race happily agreed. They went to the bar and Spot ordered strawberry and Race ordered chocolate.

“I can’t believe you get strawberry. It’s ice cream it’s not supposed to be healthy!” Race laughed.

“It’s not healthy! It just tastes like strawberries. What’s wrong with strawberries?”

“Nothing, but chocolate is objectively better!”

Medda came out with their milkshakes. “Just try it, Race!” Spot slid the milkshake in front of him.

“Not until you admit chocolate is better.”

“I never said chocolate was bad, I just defended strawberry!”

“And that’s considered a felony!”

Spot threw his head back and laughed. Race giggled, distracted by Spot. He didn’t know why he looked at the biker so much, all he knew is he couldn’t stop. The two of them finished their shakes together. Spot made fun of Race for surfing, and Race made fun of Spot for biking. Race explained why Spot got sand to the face earlier, and Spot laughed at that too.

“Ya know what, you ain’t bad for a surfer.”  
  


“And you ain’t bad for a biker, Sean.”  
  


Spot’s heart dropped. No one ever called him Sean. Not his parents, not Smalls, not Jack. It took him off guard, to say the least.

“Well this was fun, and I’m sorry again about earlier.” Race got up and left. Spot needed a minute to himself.

~  
  


A few hours later, the beach was calmer (i.e. no more battles) and Race invited Kath to go surfing with him. She politely accepted and borrowed her/Jack’s surfboard again. They surfed together for an hour, and to Kath’s surprise, Race was really fucking good! Unfortunately, the waves were getting small, so the two of them decided to go on shore. They were walking together when they saw Spot and waved at him. Race had fun at their earlier encounter. He hated when the two ‘gangs’ fought.

“Did you hit him with sand earlier?” Kath asked.

“Yeah. It was pretty embarrassing. I thought he was going to kill me. But he was pretty nice actually, we hung out after.”  
  


“That’s fun!” Conversation was coming easier to Katherine, but she wasn’t perfect yet.

“What happened with you and Sarah? You guys seemed out of wack today.” Race asked.

“Oh, she’s mad at me. I’m moving away soon.” Kath didn’t want to readmit her mistake. She gets it-she fucked up.

“That sucks. I wouldn’t want you to lose a friend over something you can’t control.” Race wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me right now.”

“The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one.” Race said in a deep voice.

“Oh, who said that?” Kath asked, just a little bit confused.

“I just did.” Race smiled. “And chicks usually dig the deep voice.”

Kath smiled, “You know what? So do I.”

They made their way back to Big Momma’s, and as soon as they did, Jack ran up to them. ‘Race, I invited Davey to tonight with the guys. I hope that’s ok!”

“Of course! The more the merrier!”

_Fuck, tonight._ Kath really didn’t want to sleep on the beach again. And things are still a little stiff with Sarah.

Jack saw the worry on Kath’s face and swiftly fixed her problem. “And Kath, Smalls is having a slumber party tonight. She wanted me to ask you if you and Sarah could go!”

“Um, sure if we aren’t intruding.”

“Not at all!”

Kath knew Jack was lying out of his ass. But she was grateful for it.


	13. Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like Me, what more can i say?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been 10 days. I got busy but i am promising you three chapters this week. I promise. anyway i hope you like it. Tell me what you think. thanks for reading :)

The sleepover was actually really fun. Kath and Sarah were distracted by hair curling, cloth swaps, and manicures (which Sarah was great at by the way). Smalls came out of her bathroom with a bright blue dress.

“Katherine! I was thinking you could wear this to see race tomorrow!”

“Oh, thank you!” Kath responded hesitantly.

“I thought of you because it’s blue, like the ocean, and he likes the ocean. So, if he sees you and thinks of the ocean, he’ll like you! And ask you out!” She and all the other girls giggled.

“Well thank you, Smalls!” Kath ran into the bathroom to put on the dress. She was enjoying playing dress-up with her new friends.

“I’m sorry it worked out weirdly with my brother and you, Smalls.” Sarah piped in, after seeing Smalls slight look of jealousy. “If it makes you feel any better, I can tell you all the weird stuff about him.”

Smalls laughed. “No, it’s fine. I’m just worried about who I’m gonna go out with next.”

“Why?”

“I just have to find a boy, and flirt with him, wait until he asks me out. Hope Spotty approves. It’s all a hassle.”

“You don’t have to, you know.”

“I don’t?”  
  


Kath walked out of the bathroom, and all the girls aww’d at her. Even Finch, who’s hair was being pulled by Elmer, tuned in.

“It’s perfect Kathy! Just bat those eyes and you’ll be going steady in a second!” She squealed.

~

Guy’s night was going great at Big Momma’s. Dave and Race had been playing a game of pool when Race asked about Kath. “So, what’s Kath’s type?”

“I – don’t really know. She doesn’t date much, but she usually just goes for the people she likes.” Dave bit his tongue because he knew Kath’s type was Sarah. But he couldn’t tell Race that. “I think you’re doing fine with her if you’re worried.”

“I’m not.” Race hit the ball. “Why did you break it off with Smalls?”

Dave stole a glance at Jack. “We just weren’t working out.”

“I don’t know where you are from, but you definitely don’t know the beat around here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dave barely got his question out before music swelled inside the restaurant and the surfers were singing.

_When you meet_ _  
A girl you like  
You should take  
My advice  
Girls like boys like me...  
  
_

Race dubbed himself the ladies-man of the group and had decided that Dave desperately needed his help. Jack quietly laughed at the two of them as Race sung his unsolicited advice.

_  
Take the lead  
She likes it when you’re in control_

Davey wasn’t about to be topped though. He wanted Race to know that life didn’t have to be so. Old-fashioned.  
  


_Let ‘em breathe  
Chill out and go with the flow_ _  
  
_

Race: _Make all the plans_

Davey: _Don’t be impolite_

All the surfers decided to chime in.

  
 _I know what girls, know what girls  
Yeah, I know what girls like_  
  
~

Back at the sleepover, Kath was surprised when the girls broke into song. Smalls started with the basics on flirting with men.

  
_A quick glance  
Bat your eyes and look away_

Sarah, on the same mental level as her brother tried to give Smalls some of the independence she unwittingly wanted.

_  
Take a chance_

_Why not ask him on a date?  
Pick up the check._

The bikers were adamant about their stance.

_No, bake him a pie_   
_I know what boys, know what boys  
Yeah, I know what boys like_   
  
_  
**I know what girls like you know what I mean**  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me!  
  
~_

Race picked up with his advice at Big Momma’s. 

_  
Hang with the guys  
Don't let her know how much you care_

Dave just wanted the poor boy to be true to himself.

_  
Look in her eyes, and tell her even if you're scared  
  
_

Race: _You got it wrong_ _  
_Dave: _No, I got it right_ _  
I know what girls, know what girls  
Yeah, I know what girls like_

_~_ _  
Stretched pants  
Cute sweater and sweet perfume_

_  
_Kath was helping Sarah’s case.

_Don't dress for him  
It's better when you dress for you  
I keep it loose_

Smalls was persistent.

 _  
My outfit is tight  
I know what boys, know what boys  
Yeah, I know what boys like  
  
  
_All the cast members chimed in together to solidify the message of period-typical sterotypes.

**_I know what girls like you know what I mean_ ** _  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me!_

Smalls expression fell as she sung the next line. _  
  
_

_All the boys they try to woo me_

Kath offered some solidarity.

_  
The more they chase me the more I resist  
  
_

_“_ And no one hates you for it?” Smalls asked, off-beat.

“If they do, screw them. It’s your life Smalls, you gotta stick up for yourself and do what you want.”

~

Race: _All the girls they think I'm groovy_

 _  
_Dave: _There's only one guy that's on my list_ _  
  
_

Race whipped around to look at Dave. Dave realized his mistake and slapped his hand over his mouth. Everyone except the two boys continued the song.

_  
**I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
I know what boys like, boys like girls like me  
 **I know what girls like, girls like boys like me**  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me  
 **Like me**  
Like me_

Race pulled Dave to the back. “Guy? One guy?” Dave could really tell he flipped Race’s world upside down.

“Okay, Race. Just listen. Where I come from, and everywhere actually this is a normal thing and-”

“You can do that?” Race’s eyes were wide.

“Yes?” Dave was a little confused.

“It all makes sense now.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I, I can’t stop thinking about him, I’m always looking for him. That’s all the shit people say about love. And I didn’t realize because he was he.”

Oh, this is a gay awakening. Dave is all caught up now. “Yeah, yeah. That’s totally just a crush, Race. And some people will tell you it’s not okay, but they are wrong.” Dave said sternly.

“Okay. But I think I messed up with Katherine. Is she going to be upset?”

“No, she’ll be fine.” _No, she won’t. Us getting out of here rides completely on you hooking up with a girl._

“Wait, who’s your guy?” Race asked.

“Um, I shouldn’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s his thing to tell. I don’t want to ruin something that’s very personal for him. I’m sure you’ll find out eventually, and I know you’re curious, but I can’t tell you. Sorry.”

“That makes sense, sorry for asking.” Race was buzzing. His whole body was shaking slightly, and his insides were all tossed up. He figured it out. He knew what that feeling was. He wasn’t the only one. God, he wanted to scream. But in a good way. He wanted to run out and tell everyone the truth. But another side of him suppressed that urge and stayed away from it all. Race had never felt this much in his life. He was scared, ecstatic, and newly-found in love.

“You good, bro?” Dave asked putting a hand on his shoulder. Race couldn’t help it and just hugged him. David wrapped his arms around his back and laughed a little bit. “I’m happy for you.” He whispered.


	14. Early Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short, but it flows with the story i promise. also y'all were so nice in the comments last chapter. Thank you so much for reading this and commenting your support. i love y'all <3

The next day, Race wasted no time. He marched over to his best friend’s house as early as he could and knocked on the door. Luckily, Jack answered the door.

“Jack, I like your brother.”

Jack had obviously done something he never does, slept in, and groggily responded to Race’s high energy confession, “What?”

“I like your brother.”

“Come in here, Racer.” Jack led Race into their empty kitchen and pored himself a cup of coffee, not that instant crap, don’t worry. “Okay, you like my brother. So what, you wanna share Big Momma’s with the bikers now?”

“No. I mean sure, but that’s not what I’m trying to tell you.” Jack looked confused. “I like your brother like how I’m supposed to like Katherine.”

“Oh. OH!” Jack pulled Race into a tight hug. When he pulled back there were tears threatening his eyes. “Racer I’m the same way.” Now the tears were in Race’s eyes.

“I knew we were friends for a reason.” He said, going for another hug and thinking back to the day on the beach, all those years ago.

“But why my brother?” Jack asked, a little disgusted by Race’s choice in boys. Just brother things.

Race laughed. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by a disgruntled Spot.

“Why are y’all being so loud?”

The boys stumbled over their words for a solid minute before Jack said, “We decided that Big Momma’s can be shared territory, if the bikers are willing.”

“It’s kinda early for these kind of decisions boys.” Spot grabbed the coffee pot.

“How about we make the decision before the day is up? We’ll hang out and see how it goes?” Race suggested. Jack stifled a laugh at his friend’s boldness.

Spot’s head was spinning a little. “Okay, where should we start?”

Before Race could say anything, the greatest thing happened. It was hilarious. Perfectly timed, perfectly executed. Jack’s bedroom door opened, and out walked a _very_ disheveled Dave, saying, “Jack, whe-” He stopped and looked at the not empty kitchen. Race’s jaw dropped then closed, as to not give away what he knew to Spot. But Spot knew, he was _also_ in the house last night. Dave decided to cut his losses and just walked back into Jack’s room and closed the door. Jack was bright red.

Race looked at Spot and asked, “You wanna meet up at the beach?”

“Sure.” Spot walked back into his own room and heard Race’s laugh in the kitchen.

~

Race was sitting in the sand when Spot came up to him. “You promise you’re not gonna attack me this time?”

“I’m so sorry about that.” Race said, watching Spot give a little laugh. “So, show me what a biker does all day.”

“We go bikin’, duh”


	15. Flowers and Braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smalls, Sarah, and Katherine have a little talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one but i like it so,,, Tell me what you think if you want, and as always thanks for reading!

Everyone had left except for Kath and Sarah. Not in a ‘you’re overstepping your welcome’ way, but in a ‘I need to talk about something important and I need your help’ way. Smalls had never been spoken to the way Sarah and Kath were speaking last night. They were in her room, Sarah was sitting on the bed, and Kath was brushing Smalls’ hair in front of the vanity mirror.

“Do you guys really think I can go without a boy?” Smalls asked.

“Of course, doll.” Sarah said, “You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to.”

“You’ve got your whole life in front of you. Falling in love is not something you have to worry about right now.” Kath chimed in.

“Okay.” Smalls sat quietly for a second. “Have either of you ever been in love?”

Yikes. That was a sensitive topic between Sarah and Kath. Wounds were still very open.

“Yes.” Kath said, swallowing her pride and embarrassment.

“What was it like?”

“Well there was all the cliché parts. Butterflies in my stomach. My thoughts were completely overrun with daydreams and wedding plans. But we were friends, so I had to keep my cool all the time. But all I wanted was to be with them. And I was terrified. Scared shitless the whole time. Still am.”

Sarah stayed quiet. Kath glanced at her in the mirror.

“Sarah? What about you?” Smalls said.

“Yeah. I have.” She looked at her hands and fidgeted with them.

Smalls decided to not press any further. Besides she was still confused. “If y’all think it’s so great? Then why are you telling me not to? Shouldn’t I find it too?”

“Well it is great, but it can also hurt like a bitch. And we don’t want to tell you what to do Smalls. We want you to do what you want to. I’m sorry if it felt like we were pressuring you. If you want to find a boy, find one. But if you don’t, you shouldn’t.” Sarah responded.

“I don’t know what I want.” Smalls said.

“That’s okay.” Kath said, now braiding her hair. “You can spend as much time as you need thinking about it. My advice is to figure yourself out, however you need to. This is your life, and you should do what makes you happy.”

Smalls took a deep breath and a leap of faith. “What if I don’t want a boy ever?”

There was a moment of silence, but Kath never stopped her hands. Sarah found words she thought were adequate for Smalls to hear. “That’s okay. Romance is fun, but it’s not for everyone. Do you ever want a girl?”

Smalls gasped. “A girl? I had never thought about that.” She thought about that concept for a second.

“I’m a lesbian.” Sarah said. “If that makes you feel any better.” Kath smiled and finished her braid. She decided to put some flowers in it, they were strewn around the room and figured Smalls wouldn’t mind.

“It kinda does.” Smalls laughed. “But I don’t think I want girls either. No offense.”

The room filled with laughter. “None at all.” After the three of them quieted down, Katherine said, “Love is cool, but it’s not the only cool thing in the world. If you don’t want it, then you don’t want it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes.” Katherine finished lacing the flowers through Smalls’ hair. “Now what do you think?”

“I love it.”


	16. Flip Flop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surfers go biking and bikers go surfing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter out on time! A win for rosey!! anyway i'm gonna try to get at least one more chapter out this week. Thank you so much for reading and leave a comment if you have something to say! Thank you so much for reading and have fun!

“I feel like I should have seen this coming.” Race yelled into Spot’s ear as they zoomed down the dirt road.

“What did you think was gonna happen when you asked to hang out? That we would go surfing? Hell no!” Spot yelled back as he accelerated the bike. Race screamed and clutched harder onto Spot’s jacket, burrowing his head into his back. Spot’s heart soared. They continued riding like that for a while, and Spot eventually slowed down. He pulled into the community garden. “You doin’ okay?” He asked a woozy Race.

“Yeah I’m good.” Race said in a shaky voice. He slowly rose out of the seat onto very wobbly legs. He stumbled a bit, but luckily Spot was there to catch him.

Spot laughed until he saw Race’s red face. “That happens sometimes after a long ride, nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Race wasn’t embarrassed at all though. But Spot’s arms were around him and that would make ny sane person flush. Race squeaked out a, “Okay.”

Spot helped Race into the garden. He walked through a few aisles and got to a bench. The two of them sat down and Spot asked, “So, why do you want a truce all the sudden.”

“I don’t think the tension is worth it. There’s enough space in Big Momma’s for the both of us. And most of the time we are out of each other’s way. Besides Jack lives with you and Smalls, it’s unnecessary to have a feud between siblings.” Race said, matter-of-factly. He wasn’t quite ready to reveal himself to Spot yet. The ‘coming out’ high had worn off and anxiety had sunk in.

“That’s fair.” Spot said after contemplating Race’s argument. “I can offer a truce, but some of bikers really don’t like the beach bunnies, so I can’t promise perfect peace.”

“It’s a good start.” Race held out his hand and Spot shook it firmly. There was a minute of awkward silence as Race racked his brain for a conversation topic. “This is a beautiful garden.”

“Oh shit.” Spot jumped from the bench and quickly went to the small shed in the garden. He came back out with two watering cans. “You care to help?”

“I’d love to.” Race skipped over to him and took the can.

“I started helping out here with my mom when I was super young.” Spot explained, “Now that I can go on my own, I come out here almost everyday.”

“That’s amazing!” Race was impressed. Most of the time Spot was such a tough, biker, badass that Race wasn’t expecting this from him. He watered the opposite side of the green aisle that Spot was watering. It was really sweet. Spot was talking about each plant he watered like they were his children. It was a peaceful environment and Race jumped when Spot exclaimed, “OHH!”

“Come look at this plant, Race.” He pointed to a tall, purple plant that was surrounding the bottom of a tree. “This is my favorite. It’s a pack of Hummingbird Sage. In the spring, it’s busy with hummingbirds and bees.”

“They’re so pretty!”

“Sorry, I get overexcited about flowers sometimes. I know it’s kinda annoying.”

“No! Oh my god, no! It’s not annoying at all. It’s cute.” Race kept watering the plants around him. Spot stayed in place for a beat, before following Race. “I’m all out of water.” Race said as he reached the end of the aisle.

“It’s good. That strip was all I had to water today.”

“You ready to head back to the beach then? I know bikers bike, but I for one would like to get on the water.”

~

Everyone was hanging out in Big Momma’s when the girls came in from the sleepover. Dave, Jack, Crutchie, Albert, and Romeo were sitting at a table, talking up a storm. And Jack had his hand on Davey’s knee. Sarah walked up to the boy’s table, slammed her hands down on the table and said, “GUESS WHAT!”

“What, Sar?” Dave asked, the only one not fazed by Sarah’s dramatic entrance.

“Smalls agreed to go surfing with me and Kath today!”

“WHAT?” Jack screeched. “I”VE BEEN TRYING TO GET HER TO DO THAT FOR YEARS!”

“Haha.” Sarah mocked him in a sing-song voice. “We do need a couple of surfboards, though.”

Jack let out a deep laugh. “Okay, come’on. Kath, Smalls! Meet us on the beach!”

The two walked out to Jack’s ‘workshop’ and grabbed three boards. “Was boy’s night fun?” Sarah asked innocently.

Jack blushed and panicked a bit, “It was fun.” He chocked out.

“That’s good. I know Dave was excited to go.” She said. The two of them walked out to the beach where Smalls and Kath were.

“I’ve given her some of the basics. But we should keep her on the sand first.”

“Okay, y’all need any extra help?” Jack asked.

“We should be good!”

“Don’t let my baby sister get hurt.” Jack said sternly, but smiled back at the girls as he walked towards Davey on the porch of Big Momma’s.

“Brothers!” Smalls sighed, exasperated.

~

Spot and Race pulled up to the beach ‘parking lot’ (It was a line of bikes on a patch of dirt) to find Smalls SURFING in the OCEAN.

“OH MY GOD!” Spot yelled “MY BABY SISTER!”

“Wait, what?”

“SMALLS IS SURFING OUT THERE!”  
  


“Yeah, I see but why are you freaking out?” Race was concerned because Spot seemed genuinely anxious.

“SHE COULD GET HURT!”

“She could get hurt biking too. There’s no reason to worry. There are people out there with her. No way would anyone let her go out there by herself, that’s like surfing 101.” Race put his hand on Spot’s shoulder. “You wanna go down there and check on her?”

Spot looked at his sister in the water for half a minute before deciding he was content to watch from here.

“Actually, would it make it better if I gave you surfing basics? Help you figure out how it works so you know what she’s doing?”

“No. No, I- uh.” Spot anxiously ran a hand through his hair.

“What?”

“I don’t like the water.”

“Why not?” Race smiled. Not because Spot was nervous. He’s just SO CUTE!

“I don’t know- I just never have.”

“Well, you gotta get over every fear eventually!” Race looped his arm through Spot’s and dragged him down to the beach, starting small with just wading in the water.


	17. Meant to Be (Reprise 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late! I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think! Kudos and comments are very appreciated!

“This isn’t so bad is it?”

“I guess not.” Spot was awkward in the water. He couldn’t figure out the tension, and he lost all momentum. He was clumsily walking towards the sand bar. Race didn’t want to make him do anything too out of his comfort zone, so the two compromised at the sand bar, about 20 feet out. A good swim, but not too long. Race stayed with Spot, which took longer, but he thought it was worth it.

“It’s okay, you got it.” Race wadded in the water as Spot started to swim. “The faster you go, the easier it is. Use those big muscles to push away the water and propel yourself forward.”

Spot blushed but followed Race’s advice. They eventually made it to the sand bar, Race reassuring Spot every minute or two. They sat on the shallow bank while Spot caught his breath. “Damn.” He exhaled loudly and laughed under his breath.

“Come’on, I know you’re strong! You can’t be that tired!” Race teased.

“I don’t know man, something about the water is different.”

“What scares you about it?” Race gently pressed.

“It’s stupid.” Spot shook his head.

Race poked his side, “No! If it scares you it’s important!” Spot just looked at him. “Come’on tell me! We can have a treaty with lies between us.” Spot laughed.

“Fine.” He took a deep breath in. “But it’s stupid. Like actually. I warned you.” Spot looked around before splashing his feet in the water. “Before you moved here, Jack didn’t know how to surf. And the headstrong little bitch decided he would learn on his own. No teacher. He bought a rickety old board, read a couple pamphlets, and hit the waves. Most days I would come down here with him. I wouldn’t go in the water though, I just sat on the beach and watched him. Sometimes I would play around with Smalls or the dog, but watching him wipe out over and _over_. It made me nervous. The longer he was out, the more I thought ‘This is it. He’s running out of luck.’ I thought he would never resurface. He did every time, of course, but the nerves never went away.”

Race just looked at him before Sport spoke again, “I told you it was stupid.”

“I’m sorry he worried you like that.” Race said sincerely.

“It’s fine. There’s nothing I can change about it, and I know he can surf well now. He’s just- reckless sometimes. And now Smalls is out there.” Spot looked towards the girls. They were far (couldn’t risk hitting the sand bar), but close enough to see.

Race sighed and said, “I didn’t know that’s how he learned. You weren’t crazy with worrying about him, surfing alone is pretty stupid.”

“Yeah.” Spot said, and Race understood that he was done talking for now. He hugged his arm and said, “Jack taught me how to surf. I had just moved here and had never even seen the ocean. I was scared too.”

“And you got over it?”

“Eventually.”

The two of them laughed and suddenly Spot couldn’t hold back anymore. He kissed Race. And Race kissed him back. Race reached for Spot’s hand and held it, tight.

Race pulled back and couldn’t think of anything to say, so he started singing.

_Oh, I know, I know, he’s out there_ _  
Most definitely_

  
Spot joined in.

_Maybe you’ve already met  
The one you’ll never forget_   
  


And they finally sung together.

_You're meant to be…_

_When it’s meant to be_ _  
You go kinda crazy  
Meant to be  
You forget your own name  
When it’s meant to be  
It’s destiny callin’  
And nothin’ ever will be the same!_


	18. Can't Stop Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Davey try to have a serious conversation, but are inevitably inturrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little late! but this song in this situation is what made me want to write this in the first place, so I'm excited to post it. Tell me what you think, and kudos are always appreciated.

Jack and Davey were inside Big Momma’s cleaning up the afternoon rush. Music was playing and the two of them were drawing out their chores to spend as much time alone as possible. They slowly swayed around broomsticks and giggled when the jukebox skipped. In those moments, with them, life was perfect.

Eventually Big Momma’s was spotless, and they had to make themselves scarce at the request of Medda. “You boys have to go! If you two keep making a ruckus in here, all your little friends are gonna want to come in. Go on Jack, I’ll pay you after tonight’s shift.”

“Thanks Miss Medda!” Jack ran to get his jacket and gave Medda a kiss on the cheek on his way out.

“New kiddo, do you need a job?” She called after Davey.

“No ma’am- just a volunteer for now!”

“Well let me know if you change your mind. We could always use an extra hand around here.”

Jack waved goodbye and Davey quickly said, “Will do!” before running out the door with Jack. They ran down to the less populated area of the beach- near the rock they jumped off of yesterday. Jack was facing the ocean with his hands in his pockets.

“So, you wanna build a sandcastle?” Davey asked, giggling.

“Would you?” Jack said at the same time, in a very different tone. “Would you work with Medda and me?”

“I don’t know.” Davey said, hanging his head. “I have to go back home eventually.”

The sad truth had been in the back of both of their minds. Set aside in order to enjoy the time they had left. But always lingering.

“Am I real?” Jack said.

“Jackie, we’ve talked about this. Yes, of course-”

“But am I? How can you really know? You told me this is a movie. A musical! That’s not real life, you know it isn’t.”  
  


Davey thought for a second, _shit he’s right_ , before realizing: “Then what is real life?”

“I don’t know” And with some god-awful timing, music started playing. Upbeat and beachy. “NO!” Jack yelled. “NOT RIGHT NOW!”

The music stopped for a second, before starting over again. “No! I’m trying to have a serious conversation.” He said, defeated this time.

“I don’t think we can stop it.”

“Ugh.”

The music continued, as promised, and Jack begrudgingly said in tune:

_What's going on?_ _  
This can't be happening  
Don't tell me it’s a song _

Davey, wanting to cheer him up a little chimed in: **_Oh, it's a song!_** Jack cut him off.  
  
 _This wasn't how I planned it  
Can't you see that this has gone too far?  
Please just pause the DVR  
Someone won't you make it stop?_  
  
 _I'm losing my mind_  
Davey, ever the supportive boyfriend, **_I don't see a problem._**  
  


Jack was exasperated.

_Everything I say it rhymes_ _  
Here comes another line  
_   
**_Just close your eyes if you don't want to see_ **

****

Jack’s arms started swinging against his will.  
 _What's this choreography?  
Someone, won't you make it stop?_  
  
Both of them went for it this time.  
 _Oh, I can't stop singing  
Make it stop, make it stop  
Am I real or just a prop?  
Oh, I can't stop singing  
So let's just talk_  
  
The music paused for a second, but persisted.  
  
 _It’s just a song_

_An inefficient way to move the story along.  
  
_

“I’m done!” Jack slapped his hands over his mouth and mumbled the next few lines, before the mysterious spirit of singing moved them.

  
**_You're just being cynical_ **   
_No, it's just the principle  
Someone won't you make it, make it stop_   
**_(Don't make it stop)_ **

  
  
They hit they second chorus, with a full dance in swing.  
 _Oh, I can't stop singing  
Make it stop, make it stop, am I real or just a prop?  
Oh, I can't stop singing  
So let's just talk_

  
 _Talk_ , **_talk_**  
 _Talk_ , **_talk_**  
 _Talk_ , **_talk_**  
  
 _Talk, talk, talk, talk  
Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk_  
  
  
 _We're trapped inside a musical revue_  
 ** _At least I'm here with you  
I don't want to make it stop_**  
  
  
 _Oh, I can't stop singing  
Make it stop, make it stop, am I real or just a prop?  
Oh, I can't stop singing  
Does it stop, does it stop, is it ever gonna stop?  
Oh, I can't stop singing  
So let's just talk_  
  
The music finally stopped and Jack threw his arms up, “Oh, it's over!”


End file.
